zea, n.

zea
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zea_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2018

# zeanoun

## Earlier version

- zea in OED Second Edition (1989)

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zea mean?

There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun zea, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

### How common is the noun zea?

About 0.07occurrences per million words in modern written English

1750 | 0.23
1760 | 0.22
1770 | 0.21
1780 | 0.21
1790 | 0.2
1800 | 0.17
1810 | 0.16
1820 | 0.13
1830 | 0.11
1840 | 0.089
1850 | 0.065
1860 | 0.049
1870 | 0.041
1880 | 0.031
1890 | 0.023
1900 | 0.02
1910 | 0.017
1920 | 0.015
1930 | 0.017
1940 | 0.023
1950 | 0.038
1960 | 0.053
1970 | 0.056
1980 | 0.059
1990 | 0.066
2000 | 0.074
2010 | 0.078

### How is the noun zea pronounced?

#### British English

/ˈziːə/
ZEE-uh

#### U.S. English

/ˈziə/
ZEE-uh

### Where does the noun zea come from?

Earliest known use

mid 1500s

The earliest known use of the noun zea is in the mid 1500s.

OED's earliest evidence for zea is from 1562, in the writing of William Turner, naturalist and religious controversialist.

zea is a borrowing from Latin.

Etymons: Latin zea.

### Nearby entries

1. zayde, n. 1946–
2. zazen, n. 1727–
3. zazzy, adj. 1961–
4. Z band, n. 1950–
5. ZBB, n. 1976–
6. Z-bed, n. 1973–
7. Z-car, n. 1961–
8. Z-day, n. 1925–
9. Z-DNA, n. 1979–
10. ze, pron. 1864–
11. zea, n.1562–
12. zeagonite, n. 1823–
13. zeal, n. a1382–
14. zeal, v. 1542–1687
15. Zealander, n.¹ 1663–
16. Zealander, n.² 1773–
17. Zealandic, adj. 1807–
18. Zealandish, adj. 1684–
19. zealator, n. a1464–
20. zeal-blind, adj. 1615–1898
21. zeal-consuming, adj. 1629–1882

## Etymology

### Summary

A borrowing from Latin.
Etymon: Latin zea.
< classical Latin zea emmer wheat (Pliny), in post-classical Latin also one-grained wheat (6th cent.) < ancient Greek ζειά (in Hellenistic Greek also ζεά) emmer wheat, in Hellenistic Greek also…
< classical Latin zea emmer wheat (Pliny), in post-classical Latin also one-grained wheat (6th cent.) < ancient Greek ζειά (in Hellenistic Greek also ζεά) emmer wheat, in Hellenistic Greek also one-grained wheat, probably < the same Indo-European base as Sanskrit yava grain, barley, Avestan yauua grain, Lithuanian javas grain, cereal.

In sense 2 after scientific Latin Zea, genus name (Linnaeus Species plantarum (1753) vol. I. 971).

## Meaning & use

1. 1.
   1562–1849
   † The grain spelt, Triticum aestivum spelta. Obsolete.
   1. 1562

      > There are two kindes of zea whereof the one is called single and the other two cornes because it hath the sede ioyned together in two chaffy coueringes.

      W. Turner, 2nd Part Herball f. 131v
   2. 1577

      > Next to Wheate and Barley, foloweth Zea [Latin Zea].

      B. Googe, translation of C. Heresbach, Foure Bookes of Husbandry i. f. 29
   3. 1611

      > Bled leger, Spelt or Zea; a corne which makes light and sauorie..bread.

      R. Cotgrave, Dictionarie of French & English Tongues
   4. 1662

      > Take wheat flour, or of Zea, or Maizi; (which are outlandish grain privatly commended) or crums of Bread.

      translation of F. Plater et al. Golden Pract. Physick (new edition) ii. xvii. 422/2
   5. 1728

      > The Ear is sharply bearded like Barley, whose Grains or Corns being enclosed in chaffy Husks, like unto Zea, are, when cleansed, like unto Wheat.

      R. Bradley, Dictionarium Botanicum at Triticum sive Olyra
   6. 1771

      > Zea, or spelt corn..seems to be a species between wheat and barley.

      M. Peters, Winter Riches viii. 229 (heading)
   7. 1800

      > These, with their zea (bread), onions, melons, dates, and other delicious fruits, composed the standing dishes of the food of the Egyptians.

      J. Franklin, Hist. Ancient & Modern Egypt vol. I. v. 360
   8. 1849

      > They comprise, among other kinds, the species called zea or far, Bengal wheat, starch wheat, and one-grained wheat.

      J. M. Wilson, Rural Cyclopedia vol. IV. 676/1
   plants
   1. spelt Old English–
      A species of wheat, Triticum spelta, once much cultivated in Europe and the Middle East until superseded by common wheat (T. aestivum), but now…
   2. far c1420–
      A coarse kind of wheat; spelt.
   3. ador?1440
      = spelt, n.¹ 1
   4. English wheat?1523–
      Wheat of a type originating or grown in England; spec. cone wheat, Triticum turgidum, which was formerly the main variety grown in southern England.
   5. flaxen wheat?1523–
      Of the colour of dressed flax: chiefly in reference to the hair. †flaxen wheat (see quots.).
   6. Peak-wheat?1523
      A poor variety of wheat.
   7. red wheat?1523–
      Any of numerous varieties of wheat with reddish grains, of varying degrees of hardness.
   8. white wheat?1523–
      Any variety of wheat with light-coloured grains; cf. red wheat, n.
   9. duck-bill wheat 1553–
      Red wheat; more fully duck-bill wheat.
   10. zea 1562–1849
       The grain spelt, Triticum aestivum spelta. Obsolete.
   11. alica 1565–
       Hulled grain, esp. of spelt or emmer wheat; a broth or gruel made by boiling this.
   12. buck 1577–1808
       = buckwheat, n.
   13. amelcorn 1578–
       Any of several types or varieties of awned wheat having a high starch content, esp. the primitive wheat emmer, Triticum turgidum dicoccum. Cf. bea…
   14. bearded wheat 1578–
       Any of several varieties of awned wheat; esp. rivet, Triticum turgidum turgidum.
   15. horse-flower 1578
       A species of Cow-wheat (Melampyrum arvense).
   16. tiphe 1578–1790
       A species of wheat having the ripe ear laterally compressed, the spikelets in two very compact rows, each containing, as a rule, one grain. Also…
   17. pollard 1580–1790
       Awnless wheat. Cf. sense A.1. Obsolete.
   18. rivet 1580–
       Any of several varieties of the wheat Triticum turgidum. Cf. cone-wheat, n. In singular. More fully rivet wheat.
   19. Saracen's corn 1585–
       Sorghum vulgare; also = Saracen corn, n. or buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum.
   20. French wheat 1593–
       = buckwheat, n. 1a.
   21. Lammas-wheat 1594–
       = winter wheat.
   22. starch corn 1597–
       a. Any variety of wheat, barley, or rye having a high content of starch, esp. a starch wheat (cf. amelcorn, n. and wheat-starch, n.) (now rare); b…
   23. St. Peter's corn 1597–1884
       In the genitive. Einkorn, Triticum monococcum.
   24. frumenty 1600–01
       A kind of wheat or spelt. Obsolete.
   25. secourgeon 1600–88
       = amelcorn, n., an inferior variety of wheat.
   26. polwheat 1601
       (Usually pol-.) In the names of awnless varieties of cereal, as polbarley, polbere, polwheat. Obsolete.
   27. duck-wheat 1611–
       = duck-bill wheat at duck-bill, n. a.
   28. kidneys of wheat 1611–73
       An imperfect reproduction of the Scriptural expression ‘fat of kidneys of wheat’ Deuteronomy xxxii, 14: cf. Psalm cxlvii. 14 ‘the fat of wheat’…
   29. ograve wheat 1616
       A variety of wheat (not identified).
   30. soft wheat 1640–
       †a. A primitive type of wheat, probably emmer (obsolete rare); b. wheat having soft or mealy endosperm and a high content of starch; a variety of…
   31. cone-wheat 1677–
       A bearded variety of wheat (so called, according to Lowe (Pract. Agric. 324) from the conical form of the spike). Also cone simply, and cones.
   32. Lammas 1677
       Short for Lammas-wheat, n. Obsolete.
   33. Poland wheat 1686–
       = Polish wheat, n.
   34. Saracen corn 1687–
       Buckwheat (see sarrasin, n.).
   35. pole rivet 1707–
       Bearded wheat.
   36. French rice 1713–1879
       A variety of wheat; = amelcorn, n.
   37. Smyrna wheat 1735–
       The chief port of Asia Minor, situated at the head of the gulf of the same name, used attributively in the names of various things produced in the…
   38. hard wheat 1757–
       Wheat of any variety having a hard grain rich in gluten, used esp. to make bread.
   39. clog wheat 1763–
       Any of several varieties of bearded wheat.
   40. hen corn 1765–1928
       (Originally) wheat of an inferior grade or type; (in later use) wheat used to feed poultry.
   41. velvet wheat 1771–
       A variety of white wheat with downy ears.
   42. white straw 1771–
       a. adj. = white-strawed, adj.; †b. n. a white-strawed variety of wheat (obsolete).
   43. starch wheat 1789–
       Any type or variety of wheat that is rich in starch; esp. either of the primitive wheats emmer and spelt; cf. starch corn (a).
   44. nonpareil 1805
       A variety of wheat. Obsolete. rare.
   45. thick-set wheat 1808–
       thick-set wheat: see quot. 1808.
   46. bluestem 1818–
       Any of various grasses with bluish-green stems; esp. (a) a variety of wheat (frequently attributive, esp. in bluestem wheat); (b) (more fully bluestem…
   47. cone 1826–
       Short for cone-wheat, n.
   48. bread wheat 1828–
       Wheat that is primarily used to produce flour for baking; esp. common wheat, Triticum aestivum.
   49. farro 1828–
       The hulled grains of any of several types of wheat, spec. emmer, spelt, and einkorn, typically used in salads, soups, etc. Also: a plant producing…
   50. Polish wheat 1832–
       The cereal Triticum polonicum, an allotetraploid wheat of the Polonicum group that is now little grown.
   51. velvet-ear wheat 1837–
       = velvet wheat, n.
   52. sarrasin 1840–
       Buckwheat.
   53. club wheat 1841–
       A subspecies of common wheat having compact ears with a short rachis, Triticum aestivum compactum.
   54. mummy wheat 1842–
       A kind of wheat said to have been grown from seed found in Egyptian tombs, (perhaps) rivet wheat, Triticum turgidum.
   55. snowdrop 1844–
       Used as a name for a variety of wheat or potato.
   56. Red Fife 1857–
       A high-quality, rust-resistant variety of spring wheat, probably originally of Ukrainian origin, popularized in Canada in the second half of the…
   57. flint-wheat 1859–
       (See quot.).
   58. dinkel 1866–
       A species of wheat, Triticum spelta.
   59. thick-set 1875–
       Short for thick-set wheat at sense A.3b.
   60. spring 1884–
       Spring wheat (see spring wheat, n.); a variety of this.
   61. macaroni wheat 1901–
       Durum wheat, Triticum durum.
   62. einkorn 1904–
       An inferior species of wheat, Triticum monococcum.
   63. marquis 1906–
       In form Marquis. A North American variety of spring wheat. Also in Marquis wheat.
   64. durum 1908–
       In full durum wheat. A species of wheat, Triticum durum, or one of its varieties, characterized by hard seeds rich in gluten and yielding a flour…
   65. emmer 1908–
       A species of wheat, Triticum dicoccum. Also attributive.
   66. hedgehog wheat 1909–
       A race of hardy dwarf wheats, grown in mountainous districts of Europe, having dense short ears and awned glumes.
   67. speltoid 1920–
       A wheat plant (Triticum aestivum) having certain characteristics of a spelt plant (T. spelta). Cf. sense A
   View in Historical Thesaurus
2. 2.
   1760–
   A cereal grass of the genus Zea; spec. maize, Z. mays; the seeds of such a plant collectively. Also (in form Zea): the genus itself.
   1. 1760

      > In respect to length, it may be Filiform, Thread-like, as in Zea; or as long as the Style, as in Genipa.

      J. Lee, Introduction to Botany i. xiv. 37
   2. 1787

      > Zéa... Indian, or Turkey Wheat.

      E. Darwin et al., translation of C. Linnaeus et al. Families of Plants vol. II. 633
   3. 1808

      > I turned him loose in the green-house, and fed him with corn, (zea, maize).

      W. Bartram in A. Wilson, American Ornithology vol. I. 16
   4. 1891

      > Upon a wild Species of Zea from Mexico.

      Proceedings of American Academy of Arts & Sciences 1890–1 vol. 26 158 (heading)
   5. 1918

      > This is considered evidence that Zea is a hybrid between the two extremes.

      Bulletin Torrey Botanical Club vol. 45 329
   6. 1969

      > Zea is a robust, erect annual grass.

      S. A. Matz, Cereal Science ii. 49
   7. 2010

      > Pollen researchers distinguish Zea from other grass genera on the basis of the maximum length diameter of the grain.

      J. E. Staller, Maize Cobs & Cultures iv. 190
   plants
   1. maize 1541–
      A cereal grass of Central American origin, Zea mays, having a terminal male inflorescence (the tassel) and axillary female flowers that form starchy…
   2. Indian wheat 1578–
      Corn (maize), Zea mays; the grain of this plant; = Indian corn, n.
   3. Guinea wheat 1598–1688
      An old name of corn (maize).
   4. corn 1608–
      Originally U.S. Maize, Zea Mays; applied both to the separated seeds, and to the growing or reaped crop. corn on the cob: green maize suitable…
   5. sweet corn 1646–
      A sweet-flavoured variety of maize.
   6. Virginia wheat 1651–
   7. soft corn 1751–
      Originally: moisture-rich maize kernels, esp. from cobs harvested before full maturity. In later use also: maize kernels which lack horny…
   8. zea 1760–
      A cereal grass of the genus Zea; spec. maize, Z. mays; the seeds of such a plant collectively. Also (in form Zea): the genus itself.
   9. field corn 1808–
      Any of various kinds of maize with a relatively low sugar content, grown principally as animal food or for processing rather than for eating as a…
   10. popcorn 1838–
       A variety of maize, the dried kernels of which swell up and burst open with a small explosive sound when heated.
   11. pod corn 1884–
       A primitive variety of maize, Zea mays var. tunicata, in which each kernel is enclosed in glumes.
   12. pod maize 1904–
       = pod corn, n.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˈziːə/
ZEE-uh

### U.S. English

/ˈziə/
ZEE-uh

####

##### 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

zea typically occurs about 0.07 times per million words in modern written English.

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

### Frequency of zea, n., 1750–2010

* 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
--- | ---
1750 | 0.23
1760 | 0.22
1770 | 0.21
1780 | 0.21
1790 | 0.2
1800 | 0.17
1810 | 0.16
1820 | 0.13
1830 | 0.11
1840 | 0.089
1850 | 0.065
1860 | 0.049
1870 | 0.041
1880 | 0.031
1890 | 0.023
1900 | 0.02
1910 | 0.017
1920 | 0.015
1930 | 0.017
1940 | 0.023
1950 | 0.038
1960 | 0.053
1970 | 0.056
1980 | 0.059
1990 | 0.066
2000 | 0.074
2010 | 0.078

## Compounds & derived words

Sort by

1. zea maize, n. 1811–
   Maize, Zea mays; (also) the seeds of this plant…

1. zein, n. 1820–
   The principal protein of maize, used in the…

1. zeatin, n. 1963–
   A plant hormone (a cytokinin) first isolated from…

1. zearalenone, n. 1966–
   An oestrogenic compound which is a metabolic…

zea, n. was revised in June 2018.

zea, n. was last modified in June 2025.