Zionism, n.

zionism
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zionism_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2021

# Zionismnoun

## Earlier version

- Zionism in OED Second Edition (1989)

## Factsheet

### What does the noun Zionism mean?

There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun Zionism. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

### How common is the noun Zionism?

About 2occurrences per million words in modern written English

1890 | 0.079
1900 | 0.26
1910 | 0.49
1920 | 0.81
1930 | 1.3
1940 | 1.8
1950 | 2.1
1960 | 2.5
1970 | 2.8
1980 | 2.9
1990 | 2.5
2000 | 2.2
2010 | 2.1

### How is the noun Zionism pronounced?

#### British English

/ˈzʌɪənɪz(ə)m/
ZIGH-uh-niz-uhm

#### U.S. English

/ˈzaɪəˌnɪzəm/
ZIGH-uh-niz-uhm

### Where does the noun Zionism come from?

Earliest known use

1890s

The earliest known use of the noun Zionism is in the 1890s.

OED's earliest evidence for Zionism is from 1896, in Jewish Chronicle.

Zionism is of multiple origins. Partly formed within English, by derivation; modelled on a German lexical item. Partly from a proper name, combined with an English element.

Etymons: Zion n., ‑ism suffix; proper name Zion, ‑ism suffix.

### Nearby entries

1. zinke, n. 1773–
2. zinnia, n. 1761–
3. zinnober green, n. 1879–
4. zinnwaldite, n. 1850–
5. zino, n. 1982–
6. Zinovievite, adj. & n. 1936–
7. Zinoviev letter, n. 1924–
8. Zion, n. Old English–
9. Zion Curtain, n. 1951–
10. Zioner, n. 1681–1760
11. Zionism, n.1896–
12. Zionist, n. & adj. a1649–
13. Zionistic, adj. 1887–
14. Zionite, n. 1596–
15. Zionless, adj. 1908
16. Zionward, adv. 1647–
17. Zionwards, adv. 1674–
18. zip, n.² & adj. 1900–
19. zip, n.³ 1962–
20. zip, n.⁴ 1968–
21. zip, v.¹ 1852–

## Etymology

### Summary

Of multiple origins. Partly formed within English, by derivation; modelled on a German lexical item. Partly from a proper name, combined with an English element.
Etymons: Zion n., ‑ism suffix; proper name Zion, ‑ism suffix.
In sense 1 < Zion n. + ‑ism suffix, after German Zionismus (N. Birnbaum 1890, in Selbst-Emancipation 16 May 1/1); see etymological note.

In sense 2 < the name of Zion, Illinois + ‑ism suffix; the Christian Catholic…
In sense 1 < Zion n. + ‑ism suffix, after German Zionismus (N. Birnbaum 1890, in Selbst-Emancipation 16 May 1/1); see etymological note.

In sense 2 < the name of Zion, Illinois + ‑ism suffix; the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church in Zion, Illinois, significantly influenced the development of this religious movement in South Africa in the early 1900s.

Compare earlier Zionist n.

### Notes

Nathan Birnbaum (1864–1937) was an Austrian-born Jewish writer and journalist. In 1883 he founded Kadimah, the first Jewish student association at the University of Vienna, and one year later the periodical Selbst-Emancipation, most of the articles in which he wrote himself.
Compare the following earlier example in which the context is the use of Zion as a metaphor for High Church Anglicanism:

1. 1890

   > Herod's slaughter of the babes at Bethlehem was not more indiscriminating, or more cruel, than that which Zionism in Oxford has directed against the truths of God.

   B. W. Newton, Babylon (ed. 3) 492

## Meaning & use

1. 1.
   1896–
   Originally: a movement among Jewish people for the re-establishment of a Jewish nation in Palestine. Later: a movement for the development and protection of the state of Israel. Also: advocacy of or support for this.
   Zionism was established as a political movement in 1897 at the initiative of Theodor Herzl (1860–1904). The state of Israel was established in 1948.
   1. 1896

      > I would ask them..to consider whether Zionism..really deserves to be preached down as a standing danger to Israel's progress.

      Jewish Chronicle 15 May 10/1
   2. 1915

      > The Provisional Executive Committee for General Zionist Affairs..has also given a remarkable impetus to American Zionism.

      J. E. Sampter, Course in Zionism 63
   3. 1955

      > It happened that Jewish workers in considerable numbers were the first to come to Palestine in answer to the appeal of Zionism.

      Times 9 May 9/3
   4. 1991

      > The central affirmation of Zionism has always been the right of Jewish immigration and the need for sufficient territory to accommodate those who would want or need to come.

      New York Review of Books 7 March 53/1
   5. 2013

      > What could have been a minor academic squabble is transformed here into a wide-ranging discussion of some of the major ideological disputes of the 20th century—Marxism, Zionism, liberalism and the significance of the Russian revolution.

      Economist 7 December 89/1
   1. Zionism 1896–
      Originally: a movement among Jewish people for the re-establishment of a Jewish nation in Palestine. Later: a movement for the development and…
   2. territorialism 1905–
      Chiefly with capital initial. A Jewish movement aiming to secure an autonomous territory for the Jews in any suitable and available part of the…
   3. Israelism 1970–
      Advocacy of or support for the modern state of Israel. Cf. Zionism, n. 1.
   View in Historical Thesaurus
2. 2.
   1948–
   A religious movement represented by a group of independent churches in southern Africa which practise a form of Christianity similar to that of Pentecostal churches, but incorporating elements of African traditional worship and belief. Also: the beliefs and practices of this movement.
   1. 1948

      > One Zionist group..were led by Mngcube for a while... ‘His’ Zionist group is in the process of dissolving into fragments of which some are attracted to heathenism, others to some other form of Zionism.

      B. G. M. Sundkler, Bantu Prophets in South Africa v. 167
   2. 1994

      > It was around 1910 that almost all the main strands of Zionism appeared in South Africa, not only the central tradition identified with the Nkonyanes, but the Church of the Light..and the Amanazaretha.

      A. Hastings, Church in Afr.: 1450–1950 xi. 502
   3. 2016

      > In South Africa, Zionism is, parallel to Malawi, strongest among the Nguni; the churches are numerous in Swaziland, too.

      U. Strohbehn, Zionist Churches in Malawi ii. 76
   Christianity
   1. Zionism 1948–
      A religious movement represented by a group of independent churches in southern Africa which practise a form of Christianity similar to that of…
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˈzʌɪənɪz(ə)m/
ZIGH-uh-niz-uhm

### U.S. English

/ˈzaɪəˌnɪzəm/
ZIGH-uh-niz-uhm

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

##### Consonants

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

- gguy
- jjay
- yyore
- chchore
- khloch
- shshore
- ththaw
- dhthee
- zhbeige

##### Vowels

- atrap
- ahpalm
- airsquare
- arstart
- arrcarry (British only)
- awthought
- ayface
- a(ng)gratin
- edress
- eefleece
- eerdeer
- errmerry
- ikit
- ighpride
- irrmirror
- olot (British only)
- ohgoat
- oogoose
- oorcure
- orforce
- orrsorry (British only)
- owmouth
- oyvoice
- o(ng)salon
- ustrut
- uhletter
- urnurse
- urrhurry
- uufoot

## Frequency

Zionism typically occurs about twice per million words in modern written English.

Zionism is in frequency band 5, which contains words occurring between 1 and 10 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

### Frequency of Zionism, n., 1890–2010

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.

The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.

For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.

Decade | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
1890 | 0.079
1900 | 0.26
1910 | 0.49
1920 | 0.81
1930 | 1.3
1940 | 1.8
1950 | 2.1
1960 | 2.5
1970 | 2.8
1980 | 2.9
1990 | 2.5
2000 | 2.2
2010 | 2.1

### Frequency of Zionism, n., 2017–2024

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Modern frequency series are derived from a corpus of 20 billion words, covering the period from 2017 to the present. The corpus is mainly compiled from online news sources, and covers all major varieties of World English.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the corpus.

Period | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
2017 | 0.073
2018 | 0.066
2019 | 0.064
2020 | 0.06
2021 | 0.063
2022 | 0.069
2023 | 0.075
2024 | 0.082

## Compounds & derived words

Sort by

1. anti-Zionism, n. 1899–
   Opposition to Zionism.

1. Revisionist Zionism, n. 1943–
   = revisionism, n. 3.

Zionism, n. was revised in March 2021.

Zionism, n. was last modified in July 2023.