zone timenoun
Factsheet
What does the noun zone time mean?
There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun zone time. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the noun zone time?
| 1900 | 0.004 |
| 1910 | 0.011 |
| 1920 | 0.012 |
| 1930 | 0.012 |
| 1940 | 0.015 |
| 1950 | 0.017 |
| 1960 | 0.017 |
| 1970 | 0.018 |
| 1980 | 0.013 |
| 1990 | 0.012 |
| 2000 | 0.012 |
| 2010 | 0.01 |
Where does the noun zone time come from?
Earliest known use
1900s
The earliest known use of the noun zone time is in the 1900s.
OED's earliest evidence for zone time is from 1908, in the writing of H. B. Morse.
Nearby entries
- zone leveller, n.1956–
- zone levelling, n.1953–
- zone-melt, v.1982–
- zone melting, n.1952–
- zone plate, n.1890–
- zoner, n.1962–
- zone-refine, v.1962–
- zone refiner, n.1959–
- zone refining, n.1952–
- zone therapy, n.1915–
- zone time, n.1908–
- Zonian, n.1910–
- zonic, adj.1797–
- zoning, n.a1821–
- zonite, n.1860–
- zonitic, adj.1888–
- zonk, v.1950–
- zonk, int.1949–
- zonked, adj.1959–
- zonkey, n.1953–
- zonking, adj.1958–
Meaning & use
- 1908–Mean solar time at the standard meridian on which the local time zone is based, taken as the standard time throughout the zone (cf. Zulu n. & adj.).
- 1908
The Eighteen Provinces roughly extend from..longitude 98° to 122° E., comprising the seventh and eighth hours of the Zone time east of Greenwich.
H. B. Morse, Trade Chinese Empire viii. 203 - 1930
The passengers wonder whether they should retire by Greenwich or zone time.
Daily Express 16 August 1/3 - 1981
A vessel's chronometer or watch is not generally adjusted or altered at any time while the vessel is at sea, but her clock is altered as she moves through each zone in such a way that it should always be indicating the correct Zone Time for the vessel's position.
G. Watkins, Exercises in Astro-navigation ii. 22
- time1646–Science. With preceding distinguishing word. A particular system of measuring or reckoning the length of the day and hence the passage of time.
- apparent time1694–= apparent solar time at solar time, n. 2(a).
- local timea1703–(Originally) time at a particular place reckoned from the instant of transit of the mean sun over the meridian at that place (which defines noon)…
- solar time1714–A time of day or point in time, calculated with reference to the position of the sun; spec. (a) a time as calculated with reference to the position…
- ship time1778–Canadian. The time at which an annual supply ship arrives in port, typically after river ice has melted or broken up in the summer. Now chiefly histo…
- Greenwich Mean Time1782–Mean solar time at the Greenwich meridian, internationally recognized as a standard time; abbreviated GMT.
- standard time1809–A standard system of reckoning time adopted throughout a country or region, now based on the time zone in which it is situated; the time as…
- sun time1837–Time determined with reference to the position of the sun, solar time; esp. time as calculated by the apparent motion of the sun (i.e. as shown on…
- GMT1840–= Greenwich Mean Time n. at Greenwich, n. I.1c.
- railway time1847–A standard time adopted throughout a railway system to supersede local time for the purposes of railway operations.
- railroad time1849–= railway time, n.
- Greenwich time1861–Time by the sun at the Greenwich meridian; spec. = Greenwich Mean Time n. at sense I.1c.
- Eastern time1878–a. North American = Eastern Standard Time, n. (a); b. Australian = Eastern Standard Time, n. (b); also more fully Australian Eastern Time…
- Pacific time1880–= Pacific Standard Time, n.
- Universal Time1882–An internationally accepted standard time corresponding to mean solar time at the Greenwich meridian, calculated from midnight as zero; spec. (more…
- a. North American the standard time in a zone including most of Mexico and central parts of the United States and Canada, based on the mean solar…
- central time1883–a. North American = central standard time, n. (a); b. Australian= Australian Central Standard Time, n..
- a. North American the standard time in a zone including Ontario, Quebec, and the east coast region of the United States, based on the mean solar…
- Mountain time1883–The time based on the mean solar time of the 105th meridian, esp. = Mountain Standard Time, n.; (also) the zone of Mountain Standard Time.
- The standard time in a zone including most of western and central continental Europe, one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time; abbreviated CET.
- The standard time in a zone including much of eastern Europe, two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time; abbreviated EET.
- a. = Greenwich Mean Time n. at Greenwich, n. I.1c (now disused); b. the standard time used experimentally in the United Kingdom from 18 February…
- daylight saving1908–A method of securing longer evening daylight during the summer by setting the clocks ahead of standard time, typically by one hour; the period…
- daylight saving time1908–Time as adjusted during the summer to achieve longer evening daylight, by setting the clocks ahead of standard time, typically by one hour; the…
- zone time1908–Mean solar time at the standard meridian on which the local time zone is based, taken as the standard time throughout the zone (cf. Zulu, n. &…
- LMT1909–Local mean time.
- British Summer Time1916–The daylight saving time used in the United Kingdom, one hour in advance of GMT (UTC), and in force in the summer months of most years since it was…
- GMAT1916–Greenwich Mean Astronomical Time, the mean solar time on the Greenwich meridian, with noon taken as the beginning of each day; cf. GMT, n.
- summertime1916–Chiefly as two words, and frequently with capital initials, as Summer Time. The standard time (one hour in advance of ordinary time) adopted in…
- The daylight saving time used in the zone observing Eastern standard time, four hours behind Greenwich Mean Time; abbreviated EDT.
- U.T.1929–Universal Time.
- B.S.T.1930–British Summer Time; (from 1968) British Standard Time.
- EST1935–= Eastern Standard Time, n. (in both senses).
- atomic time1937–Time as measured by atomic clocks; spec. (more fully International Atomic Time) an internationally accepted time scale now based on the weighted…
- The daylight saving time used in the United Kingdom under emergency regulations, two hours ahead of GMT (UTC), and in force in the summer months…
- wartime1942–In form war time. In the United States: a form of year-round daylight saving time introduced during World War II. Now historical.
- B.D.S.T.1943–British Double Summer Time.
- ephemeris time1950–ephemeris time n. a uniform time scale used in astronomy, defined in terms of the orbital motions of the moon and planets and taking as the…
- Zulu time1959–(An informal name for) Greenwich Mean Time, and (subsequently) Universal Time; cf. Zulu, n. A.5b.
Frequency
zone time typically occurs about 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.
zone time is in frequency band 3, which contains words occurring between 0.01 and 0.1 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands
Frequency of zone time, n., 1900–2010
* 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 |
|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.004 |
| 1910 | 0.011 |
| 1920 | 0.012 |
| 1930 | 0.012 |
| 1940 | 0.015 |
| 1950 | 0.017 |
| 1960 | 0.017 |
| 1970 | 0.018 |
| 1980 | 0.013 |
| 1990 | 0.012 |
| 2000 | 0.012 |
| 2010 | 0.01 |