zariba, n.

zariba
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zariba_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
First published 1921; not fully revised

# zaribanoun

## Earlier version

- zariba, n. in OED Second Edition (1989)

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zariba mean?

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

zariba has developed meanings and uses in subjects including

fortification (1840s) military (1880s)

#### 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 zariba?

About 0.02occurrences per million words in modern written English

1860 | 0.082
1870 | 0.077
1880 | 0.077
1890 | 0.075
1900 | 0.078
1910 | 0.079
1920 | 0.067
1930 | 0.04
1940 | 0.034
1950 | 0.026
1960 | 0.019
1970 | 0.016
1980 | 0.016
1990 | 0.017
2000 | 0.014
2010 | 0.013

### How is the noun zariba pronounced?

#### British English

/zəˈriːbə/
zuh-REE-buh

#### U.S. English

/zəˈribə/
zuh-REE-buh

### Where does the noun zariba come from?

Earliest known use

1840s

The earliest known use of the noun zariba is in the 1840s.

OED's earliest evidence for zariba is from 1849, in a translation by O'Reilly.

zariba is a borrowing from Arabic.

Etymons: Arabic zarībah.

### Nearby entries

1. Zarathustrian, adj. & n. 1859–
2. Zarathustrianism, n. 1864–
3. Zarathustric, adj. 1848–
4. Zarathustrism, n. 1871–
5. zaratite, n. 1858–
6. zarcole, n. 1585–
7. zarda, n. 1899–
8. zardozi, n. 1871–
9. zarf | zurf, n. 1836–
10. zari, n. 1969–
11. zariba, n.1849–
12. zariba, v. 1885–
13. zarnich, n. 1612–
14. Zarp, n. 1895–
15. zarzuela, n. 1888–
16. zat, n. 1934–
17. zatch, n. 1950–
18. zawiya, n. 1836–
19. zawn, n. 1865–
20. zayat, n. 1823–
21. zayde, n. 1946–

## Etymology

### Summary

A borrowing from Arabic.
Etymon: Arabic zarībah.
Arabic zarībah pen or enclosure for cattle (zarb sheep-fold).

## Meaning & use

1. 1. a.
      1849–
      In the Sudan and adjacent parts of Africa, A fence or enclosure, usually constructed of thorn-bushes, for defence against the attacks of enemies or wild beasts; a fenced or fortified camp.
      1. 1849

         > A shining seriba of reeds, the stalks of which..perhaps only afford resistance to tame animals.

         O'Reilly, translation of Werne, Exped. Sources White Nile vol. II. 112
      2. 1852

         > The Sultan has planted a zerybeh, or circular inclosure, with two issues.

         Eliza Cook's Journal 27 March 337
      3. 1867

         > We employed ourselves..in cutting thorn branches, and constructing a zareeba.

         S. W. Baker, Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia xii. 315
      4. 1884

         > The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) advanced this morning to Baker Pasha's zariba.

         Times 11 March 5
      fortification
      1. shide-wall Old English–
         A rampart composed of piles.
      2. barrier c1380–
         gen. A fence or material obstruction of any kind erected (or serving) to bar the advance of persons… originally. A palisade or stockade erected to…
      3. peel?a1400–
         Chiefly Scottish. A palisade or fence formed of stakes; a stockade; a stockaded or palisaded (and often moated) enclosure, frequently as the outer…
      4. bails 1523–
         plural. Outer line of fortification, formed of stakes; palisades, barriers.
      5. palisade 1588–
         Originally: a fence made of wooden pales or stakes fixed in the ground, forming an enclosure or defence. Subsequently also: a fence made of metal…
      6. stockado 1608–1809
         = stockade, n. 1.
      7. stockade 1614–
         A defensive barrier of stakes or piles placed across a harbour or river, around a building, village, and the like; spec. in Fortification, a…
      8. fraise 1775–
         Fortification. A palisade, made horizontal or slightly inclining to the horizon, placed for defence round a work near the berm.
      9. picket 1779–
         North American. A fence or barrier made of these; a stockade. Now rare.
      10. estacade 1827–
          An arrangement of stakes for defence.
      11. zariba 1849–
          In the Sudan and adjacent parts of Africa, A fence or enclosure, usually constructed of thorn-bushes, for defence against the attacks of enemies or…
      12. boma 1860–
          East African and South African. An enclosure surrounded by a fence or stockade, used for keeping animals. Later also: (in hotels, holiday resorts…
      13. boma 1860–
          East African and South African. A barrier formed from thorny branches or wooden stakes, used for defence against attacks by enemies or wild animals…
      View in Historical Thesaurus
   2. b.
      1887–
      Applied to a formation of troops for defence against attack.
      1. 1887

         > Forming a zariba, or square, to resist cavalry.

         Times 9 April 5/5
      military
      1. herse 1523–1897
         Military. A form of battle array. Cf. harrow, n.¹ 3. Obsolete.
      2. shears 1562
         In plural. Something having the shape of a pair of shears. = shear-battle, n. (see compounds C.2).
      3. snail 1579–91
         Military. A formation resembling the letter D; = limaçon, n. 1. Obsolete.
      4. rendy 1581
         The position of troops deployed on a battlefield.
      5. saw battle 1598
         A disposition of troops in which the battalions form a serrated front.
      6. shear-battle 1598
         A tactical arrangement of forces into two wedge-shaped formations acting in parallel directions toward the same objective.
      7. file 1616–
         Military. A small body of men, formerly varying in number from two to twelve or more, but now usually two. Also, when ‘marching in files’ (see fil…
      8. windmill battle 1626
         A complex battle formation allowing an army to fight on all sides, in which four columns facing in different directions are arranged around a…
      9. horn battle 1635
         An army in battle array having horns or wings.
      10. sconce-battle 1635–
          A particular mode of drawing up troops in the field.
      11. potence 1760–1865
          Military. A troop formation in which a line is thrown out at right angles to the main body. Obsolete.
      12. echelon 1796–
          ‘A formation of troops in which the successive divisions are placed parallel to one another, but no two on the same alignement, each division having…
      13. marching order 1819–
          Military. A formation for marching. Also: uniform or equipment for marching. Cf. heavy (marching) order at heavy, adj.¹ A.I.7.
      14. harrow 1876–
          A diagonal arrangement of soldiers; also of migratory fowl in the air.
      15. forward defence 1883–
          A defensive strategy in which forces positioned along the limits of a territory, rather than in a stronger position behind this (cf. forward strategy…
      16. zariba 1887–
          Applied to a formation of troops for defence against attack.
      View in Historical Thesaurus
   3. c.
      1885–
      transferred and figurative.
      1. 1885

         > It is when he advances from these elementary zarebas that he loses himself in the wilderness, and, apparently from an inherent inability to state any fact correctly.

         Glasgow Herald 19 March 4/5
      2. 1898

         > The..Tsar..is..surrounded by a zereba of detail and enticed from affairs of State by organized diversions.

         A. White in National Review August 804
      3. 1916

         > The orchestra..took their places behind a zareba of bunting-covered biscuit-boxes and hired palms erected in front of the stage.

         ‘Taffrail’, Pincher Martin iii. 42
      4. 1940

         > The shadows of the palms pointed at him like a zareba of sabres.

         G. Greene, Power & Glory ii. ii. 128
      5. 1961

         > Owing to his obiter dicta having to be filtered through a zareba of white hair, it was not always easy to catch exactly what Mr. Cornelius said.

         P. G. Wodehouse, Ice in Bedroom vii. 52
      6. 1965

         > The final approach to any birds' nest was an affair of struggle and achievement. My hand reaches through the twigged zareba of basket and basket handle, touches the soft lining, touches the firm intimacy of the eggs.

         G. Maxwell, House of Elrig x. 139
      7. 1974

         > A novelist..has direct access to his readers, with no thorny zariba of a cast of actors to battle through.

         Author Spring 33
      8. 1984

         > The two previous ones faced the reader in their opening chapters with an almost impenetrable zareba of thickset descriptions of the committee structure.

         Listener 3 May 24/2
      1. horn Old English–
         In Biblical and derived uses: an emblem of power and might; a means of defence or resistance; hence horn of salvation (†health) is used of God or…
      2. shield c1200–
         transferred and figurative. Something serving as a defence against attack or injury. Often in echoes of Biblical language referring to metaphorical…
      3. warrant a1272–1500
         A safeguard, protection, defence. Obsolete.
      4. bergh a1325
         Protection, shelter.
      5. armour 1340–
         figurative. Mental or spiritual defence or protection; a quality, trait, characteristic, etc., which provides this. Now rare.
      6. hedge 1340–
         transferred and figurative. A barrier, limit, defence; a means of protection or defence.
      7. defence c1350–
         A person who or thing which defends against physical attack or injury. Something which defends or protects against physical attack, illness, or…
      8. buckler c1380–
         figurative. A means of defence; protection, protector.
      9. protection a1382–
         A person who or thing which protects someone or something.
      10. safety 1399–1793
          A means or instrument of safety; a protection, safeguard. Obsolete.
      11. targe a1400–
          figurative.
      12. surety c1405–1878
          A means of safety, a safeguard. Obsolete.
      13. wall 1412–
          figurative. Applied to a person or thing that serves as a defence.
      14. pavise?a1439–1568
          figurative. A defence, a means of protection. Obsolete.
      15. fence c1440–1756
          Means or method of defence; protection, security. Obsolete.
      16. safeguard?c1500–
          Something that offers security from danger; a defence, protection.
      17. pale?a1525–
          figurative. A limit, a boundary; a restriction; a defence, a safeguard. Frequently in to break (also leap) the pale: to go beyond accepted bounds; to…
      18. waretack 1542–45
          A safeguard.
      19. muniment 1546–1860
          Something serving as a defence or protection. Obsolete.
      20. shroud a1561–
          A thing serving as a covering or protection; a defence; a covering, screen, veil, ‘cloak’, disguise. Now somewhat rhetorical.
      21. bulwark 1577–
          transferred and figurative. A powerful defence or safeguard. Sometimes applied to persons.
      22. countermure 1581–
          figurative (cf. bulwark, n. 2, rampart, n. 1b.)
      23. ward 1582–1697
          Defence, protection, shelter. Obsolete.
      24. prevention 1584–
          A means of preventing something; a safeguard; a hindrance, an obstruction.
      25. armoury a1586–
          figurative and in figurative context. A repository or plentiful source of something (cf. aumbry, n. 2b). Also: an array of resources available for…
      26. fortification a1586–
          transferred and figurative. A means of defence.
      27. security a1586–
          Something which secures or makes safe. A protection or defence against, from, †for something.
      28. penthouse 1589–
          figurative. A thing (material or immaterial) resembling or reminiscent of a penthouse (in various senses).
      29. palladium 1600–
          In extended use: a thing on which the safety of a nation, institution, privilege, etc., is believed to depend; a source of protection, a safeguard.
      30. guard 1609–
          Something which guards, defends, or protects; a protection, defence. literal and figurative.
      31. subtectacle 1609–12
          Covering, protection.
      32. tutament 1609
          A means of defence; a safeguard.
      33. umbrella 1609–1734
          figurative. A means of shelter or protection.
      34. bastion 1615–
          figurative and in figurative contexts. Anything considered as a defence against something perceived or presented as a threat; (now esp.) an…
      35. screen a1616–
          figurative. Something which provides protection from danger, punishment, attack, etc. Also: something interposed or intervening as an obstruction…
      36. amulet 1621–
          fig. A preservative, protection, or charm.
      37. alexikakon 1635–1833
          A charm or remedy that gives protection against evil, disease, or misfortune.
      38. breastwork 1643–
          In extended and figurative use: a form of defence; a barrier.
      39. security 1643–
          Something which secures or makes safe. Without complement: a protection, guard, or defence.
      40. protectionary 1653–
          †a. n. A person who provides protection (obsolete rare); b. adj. of the nature of or characterized by protection; protectionist.
      41. sepiment 1660–78
          transferred and figurative. Something that encloses or guards.
      42. back 1680
          figurative. A defence, protection.
      43. shadower 1691
          Something affording protection. Obsolete. rare.
      44. aegis 1760–
          figurative. Originally: a protection or impregnable defence. Subsequently: the backing or support of a person or thing. See also under the aegis of…
      45. inoculation 1761–
          figurative. The imbuing of a person with feelings, opinions, habits, etc., esp. as a form of protection or defence; protection or defence against…
      46. buoy a1770
          figurative. Something which marks out a course, indicates danger, or keeps one afloat.
      47. propugnaculum 1773–
          A bulwark, a rampart. Also figurative: something which affords defence or protection.
      48. panoply 1789–
          In extended use: any complete covering or protective layer.
      49. armament 1793–
          In extended use: any means of defence or attack; the set of resources available to carry out a task or ward off a threat, spec. the range of…
      50. fascine 1793–
          figurative and in extended use; esp. something which acts or is employed as a defence. Now rare.
      51. protective 1827–
          Something which affords protection; spec. (a) Medicine a medicinal agent or dressing applied to the skin (now rare); (b) a condom.
      52. breakwater 1828–
          figurative and in figurative contexts. Something likened to a breakwater (sense 3a) in offering protection from or reducing the force of something.
      53. beaver 1838–
          figurative.
      54. face shield 1842–
          Any of various types of shield or hard covering worn to protect or conceal the face (or part of it); (now) esp. a transparent plastic guard worn…
      55. vaccine 1861–
          figurative. Something likened to a vaccine in being a form of protection or defence.
      56. zariba 1885–
          transferred and figurative.
      57. wolf-platform 1906–
          A hillside embankment in the form of a platform, suggested to have been used as a means of defence against the wolves of the lowlands.
      58. firebreak 1959–
          A measure intended to stop the spread of something dangerous or harmful; (now) spec. a short period in which travel, business, and human contact…
      View in Historical Thesaurus
      1. lock Old English
         gen. An enclosed space, esp. one that is locked or shut up; a place of confinement. Cf. loke, n. Obsolete.
      2. cloister c1300–
         An enclosed place or space, enclosure; close; compass. Also figurative. Obsolete or archaic. (In later use apparently taken as figurative from sense…
      3. close a1325–1647
         A place or area protected by a surrounding wall or similar fortification; a stronghold. Obsolete.
      4. purseynt a1325–1495
         The area enclosed within a specified boundary; spec. the area under the jurisdiction of a municipal authority, court, etc. Cf. precinct, n., procinct…
      5. clausure a1398–1609
         An enclosed place, an enclosure, a close.
      6. closing a1398–1886
         An enclosed place or area; spec. (a) the enclosed area surrounding an ancient temple; the walled grounds of a cathedral or abbey; (b) (English reg…
      7. blok c1400
         An enclosed space.
      8. closure c1415–1874
         An area surrounded by a wall, fence, or other barrier; an enclosed place or area; an enclosure. Obsolete.
      9. closer 1422–1530
         An enclosed area, such as a courtyard or an enclosure for animals.
      10. procinct 1422–1822
          = precinct, n. (in various senses).
      11. parclose a1470–1571
          An enclosed space; esp. one in a building, separated from the main area by a screen or railing. Obsolete.
      12. enterclose 1480
          An enclosed space or passage. Cf. parclose, n. 1b. Obsolete. rare.
      13. enclose 1483
          The space enclosed by a boundary; the precincts.
      14. sept 1548–1883
          An enclosure; an area marked off for a special purpose. Also figurative: a spiritual fold (see fold, n.² 1b).
      15. enclosure 1552–
          That which is enclosed. A space included within or marked off by boundaries. spec. on a racecourse (see quot. 1963).
      16. shut 1605–62
          An enclosure; a stew for fish. Obsolete.
      17. cincture 1627
          concrete. An enclosure, enclosed area. Obsolete. rare.
      18. precinct 1774
          The area within the boundaries (real or imaginary) of a particular place or building; the interior; the grounds; esp. the (consecrated) ground…
      19. encincture 1849–
          The process of surrounding as with a girdle; the fact of being so surrounded: concrete an enclosure.
      20. zariba 1885–
          transferred and figurative.
      View in Historical Thesaurus
   4. d.
      1895–
      attributive.
      1. 1895

         > The expression ‘zeriba country’ applied by some geographers to the northern slope of the Nile-Congo divide.

         A. H. Keane, translation of W. Junker, Trav. in Africa vol. I. v. 245
      2. 1901

         > A succession of enclosures, each with a zareba wall.

         H. Vivian, Abyssinia vii. 184

## Pronunciation

### British English

/zəˈriːbə/
zuh-REE-buh

### U.S. English

/zəˈribə/
zuh-REE-buh

####

##### 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

## Forms

### Variant forms

Also seriba, sariba, zerybeh, zareba, zareeba, zer(r)iba, zereba.

## Frequency

zariba typically occurs about 0.02 times per million words in modern written English.

zariba 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 zariba, n., 1860–2010

* 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
--- | ---
1860 | 0.082
1870 | 0.077
1880 | 0.077
1890 | 0.075
1900 | 0.078
1910 | 0.079
1920 | 0.067
1930 | 0.04
1940 | 0.034
1950 | 0.026
1960 | 0.019
1970 | 0.016
1980 | 0.016
1990 | 0.017
2000 | 0.014
2010 | 0.013

## Compounds & derived words

Sort by

1. zariba, v. 1885–
   (transitive) to surround or enclose with a…

zariba, n. was first published in 1921; not fully revised.

zariba, n. was last modified in July 2023.