zumbi, n.

zumbi
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zumbi_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2021

# zumbinoun

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zumbi mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun zumbi. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

This word is used in Caribbean English.

### How is the noun zumbi pronounced?

#### British English

/ˈzuːmbi/
ZOOM-bee
/zuːmˈbiː/
zoom-BEE

#### U.S. English

/ˈzumbi/
ZOOM-bee
/zumˈbi/
zoom-BEE

#### Caribbean English

/ˈzuːmbi/
/zuːmˈbiː/

#### West African English

/ˈzumbi/
/zumˈbi/

### Where does the noun zumbi come from?

Earliest known use

early 1700s

The earliest known use of the noun zumbi is in the early 1700s.

OED's earliest evidence for zumbi is from 1704, in G. Merolla's Voy. Congo.

zumbi is a borrowing from Kimbundu.

Etymons: Kimbundu nzumbi.

### Nearby entries

1. Zugunruhe, n. 1950–
2. Zugzwang, n. 1904–
3. zule | zulis, n. 1780–
4. Zulu, n. & adj. 1824–
5. Zulu, v. 1882–
6. Zuludom, n. 1867–
7. Zulu hat, n. 1879–
8. Zuluize, v. 1852–
9. Zulu time, n. 1959–
10. zumbador, n. 1758–64
11. zumbi, n.1704–
12. zumboorukchee, n. 1840–
13. Zuñi, n. 1834–
14. zunyite, n. 1885–
15. zuppa, n. 1961–
16. Zurich, n. 1870–
17. Zuricher, n. 1673–
18. zurla, n. 1940–
19. zurlite, n. 1826–
20. zurna, n. 1870–
21. zurr, n. 1803–

## Etymology

### Summary

A borrowing from Kimbundu.
Etymon: Kimbundu nzumbi.
< Kimbundu nzumbi (see zombie n.); in quot 1704 via Italian.

Compare (also < Kimbundu) Brazilian Portuguese zumbi ghost or spirit of a dead person (1681…
< Kimbundu nzumbi (see zombie n.); in quot 1704 via Italian.

Compare (also < Kimbundu) Brazilian Portuguese zumbi ghost or spirit of a dead person (1681).

### Notes

Apparently not fully naturalized in English. In the occasional later uses in the Caribbean and southern United States probably perceived as a variant of either zombie n. or jumbie n., which both ultimately go back to the same Kimbundu word.

## Meaning & use

1. 1704–
   Chiefly in West and South-west African (esp. Angolan) contexts: the ghost or spirit of a dead person, esp. a malevolent one. Occasionally also Caribbean in later use; cf. zombie n. I.1, jumbie n., duppy n.
   In quot. 2021 in historical context.
   1. 1704

      > They prevent the Soul of the dead Person from coming to give the Zumbi [Italian li Zumbi] to any of the future Inhabitants.

      translation of G. Merolla, Voy. Congo ii, in A. Churchill & J. Churchill, Collection of Voyages vol. I. 741/2
   2. 1876

      > There was no danger of the Zumbi, or ghost.

      R. F. Burton, Two Trips to Gorilla Land vol. II. 124
   3. 1882

      > A libation..to the zumbi or n'zumbi of the other world, by and with whom they always deem themselves surrounded and connected.

      A. Elwes, translation of H. C. de B. Capello & R. Ivens From Benguella to Yacca vol. I. 26
   4. 1986

      > The Gullah speakers believe that the spirits of the dead, the zumbi, live among the leaves.

      M. Davis, Forbidden Objects xxi. 202
   5. 2021

      > The patients duly offered a banquet to appease the zumbi.

      K. Kananoja, Healing Knowledge in Atlantic Africa i. 41
   Caribbean English
   1. ghost Old English–
      The soul or spirit of a dead person or animal, conceived of as appearing in visible form or otherwise manifesting in the physical world, typically…
   2. hue Old English–1603
      concrete. An apparition, a phantasm. Obsolete.
   3. soul Old English–
      The disembodied spirit of a deceased person (or occasionally an animal) regarded as a separate entity and invested with some degree of…
   4. fantasy c1325–1583
      A spectral apparition, phantom; an illusory appearance. Obs.
   5. spirit c1350–
      An incorporeal, supernatural, rational being, of a type usually regarded as imperceptible to humans but capable of becoming visible at will, and…
   6. phantom c1384–
      A thing (usually with human form) that appears to the sight or other sense, but has no material substance; an apparition, a spectre, a ghost. Also…
   7. phantasm c1430–
      An apparition, spirit, or ghost; a visible but incorporeal being. Now archaic and rare.
   8. haunter c1440–
      One who or that which haunts, in various senses; a frequenter.
   9. shadow a1464–
      A spectral form, phantom; = shade, n. II.6.
   10. appearance 1488–
       That which appears without being material; a phantom or apparition.
   11. wraith 1513–
       An apparition or spectre of a dead person; a phantom or ghost.
   12. hag 1538–1637
       A frightening apparition or creature, esp. a ghost. Obsolete.
   13. spoorn 1584–1790
       A special kind of spectre or phantom.
   14. vizard a1591
       A phantasm or spectre. Obsolete. rare.
   15. life-in-death 1593–
       A condition of being or seeming to be neither alive nor dead, a phantom state between life and death; (in extended use) something having the form or…
   16. phantasma 1598–
       = phantasm, n. (in various senses).
   17. umbra 1601–
       The shade of a deceased person; a phantom or ghost. Also figurative.
   18. larve 1603–
       = larva, n. 1.
   19. spectre 1605–
       An apparition, phantom, or ghost, esp. one of a terrifying nature or aspect.
   20. spectrum 1611–
       An apparition or phantom; a spectre.
   21. idolon 1612–
       A non-material image of a person or thing; esp. a mental image, visualization, or conception.
   22. apparition a1616–
       spec. An immaterial appearance as of a real being; a spectre, phantom, or ghost. (The ordinary current sense.)
   23. shade a1616–
       A spectre, phantom. rare.
   24. shape a1616–
       concrete. An imaginary, spectral, or ethereal form; a phantom. Now rare.
   25. show a1616–1841
       A phantom, a vision, an apparition. Obsolete.
   26. larva 1651–
       A disembodied spirit; a ghost, hobgoblin, spectre. Obsolete exc. Historical.
   27. white hat?1693
       Newfoundland. The name of a spirit or ghost. Obsolete. rare.
   28. zumbi 1704–
       Chiefly in West and South-west African (esp. Angolan) contexts: the ghost or spirit of a dead person, esp. a malevolent one. Occasionally also Car…
   29. jumbie 1764–
       The ghost or spirit of a dead person, esp. a malevolent one. Cf. duppy, n., zombie, n. I.1.
   30. duppy 1774–
       A name among black West Indians for a ghost or spirit.
   31. waff 1777–
       An apparition, wraith. = waft, n.¹ 7.
   32. zombie 1788–
       In parts of the Caribbean (esp. Haiti) and the southern United States: the ghost or spirit of a dead person, esp. a malevolent one. Cf. zumbi, n., j…
   33. Wild Huntsman 1796–
       A phantom huntsman of Teutonic legend, fabled to ride at night through the fields and woods with shouts and baying of hounds.
   34. spook 1801–
       A spectre, apparition, ghost. Often somewhat jocular or colloquial.
   35. ghostie 1810–
       A ghost.
   36. hantu a1811–
       An evil spirit, a ghost.
   37. preta 1811–
       The disembodied soul of a dead person, esp. before the completion of funeral rites and ceremonies allowing it to leave the world of humans as an…
   38. bodach 1814–
       A peasant, churl; also (Scottish) a spectre.
   39. revenant 1823–
       A person who returns from the dead; a reanimated corpse; a ghost. Also figurative.
   40. death-fetch 1826–
       a. An apparition or double of a living person that is superstitiously believed to portend the person's death; b. a spirit supposed to come and…
   41. sowlth 1829–
       A formless, luminous spectre. Chiefly in the writings of W. B. Yeats.
   42. kehua 1839–
       The spirit of a dead person; a ghost.
   43. haunt 1843–
       U.S. regional and English regional. A spirit supposed to haunt a place; a ghost. Also (occasionally) in wider use.
   44. night-bat 1847–
       a. Caribbean (Barbados and Guyana) a bat; b. now literary a ghost, a bogey; c. chiefly Jamaican, a large night-flying moth.
   45. spectrality 1850–
       A phantasm; ghostliness.
   46. thivish 1852–
       A ghost, apparition, or spectre.
   47. beastie 1867–
       Originally Scottish. A frightening supernatural creature or spirit; a ghost, hobgoblin, or bogey; a monster.
   48. ghost soul 1869–
       (In the context of spiritualism and shamanism) the soul of a human or animal that animates the body but can exist and travel separately from it, as…
   49. barrow-wight 1891–
       A mound of earth or stones erected in early times over a grave; a grave-mound, a tumulus. Also attributive as barrow-wight n. (see quot. 1891); so…
   50. resurrect 1892
       A person who has risen from the dead.
   51. waft 1897–
       An apparition, wraith. Cf. waff, n. 5.
   52. churel 1901–
       In India, the ghost of a woman who has died in child-birth, believed to haunt lonely places malevolently and to spread disease.
   53. comeback 1908–
       A person who has returned; (also) a ghost. rare.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˈzuːmbi/
ZOOM-bee
/zuːmˈbiː/
zoom-BEE

### U.S. English

/ˈzumbi/
ZOOM-bee
/zumˈbi/
zoom-BEE

### Caribbean English

/ˈzuːmbi/
/zuːmˈbiː/

### West African English

/ˈzumbi/
/zumˈbi/

####

##### 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.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea, thaw
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye, thee
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- hhay
- llay
- 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 as in British and US English.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, ago
- aːpalm, bath, thought
- aː(r)start
- ɑlot, cloth
- ʌstrut, letter
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- oːgoat
- ɔːthought
- oː(r)north, force, cure
- ɜː(r)nurse
- eː(r)square, near
- aʊmouth
- ɔʊmouth
- eːface
- aipride, voice
- ɔivoice
- ãsoucouyant
- ɑ̃salon

##### 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, thaw
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye, thee
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

/ɡb/ is often treated as a single sound, a simultaneous ‘double articulation’ of the two stop sounds.

Unlike in many other varieties of English, consonants cannot take on the function of vowels in West African English (there are no ‘syllabic consonants’).

##### Vowels

- ikit, fleece, happy
- eface
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath, palm, start, perch, letter
- ɔlot, cloth, thought, north, force, strut, work, cure
- ufoot, goose
- ogoat
- aipride
- aumouth
- ɔivoice
- ianear
- easquare
- uacure

##### 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

## Forms

### Variant forms

1. 1700s–
   zumbi
2. 1900s–
   zumbie

Originally published as part of the entry for jumbie, n.

zumbi, n. was updated in September 2021.