Zoilismnoun
Factsheet
What does the noun Zoilism mean?
There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun Zoilism. 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 Zoilism?
| 1760 | 0.0013 |
| 1770 | 0.001 |
| 1780 | 0.0009 |
| 1790 | 0.001 |
| 1800 | 0.0002 |
| 1810 | 0.0008 |
| 1820 | 0.0008 |
| 1830 | 0.0012 |
| 1840 | 0.0013 |
| 1850 | 0.0013 |
| 1860 | 0.0012 |
| 1870 | 0.0013 |
| 1880 | 0.0009 |
| 1890 | 0.0009 |
| 1900 | 0.0006 |
| 1910 | 0.0006 |
| 1920 | 0.0006 |
| 1930 | 0.0005 |
| 1940 | 0.0004 |
| 1950 | 0.0004 |
| 1960 | 0.0003 |
| 1970 | 0.0003 |
| 1980 | 0.0003 |
| 1990 | 0.0002 |
| 2000 | 0.0002 |
| 2010 | 0.0002 |
Where does the noun Zoilism come from?
Earliest known use
early 1600s
The earliest known use of the noun Zoilism is in the early 1600s.
OED's earliest evidence for Zoilism is from 1609, in the writing of N. Morgan.
Nearby entries
- zograscope, n.1753–
- Zohar, n.1682–
- zoic, adj.1863–
- -zoic, comb. form¹
- -zoic, comb. form²
- zoid, n.1856–
- zoid, adj.1864–
- zoidiophilous, adj.1872–
- zoidogamous, adj.1899–
- Zoilean, adj.1846–
- Zoilism, n.1609–
- Zoilist, n.1594–
- Zoilitical, adj.1665
- Zoilous, adj.1577–
- Zoilus, n.1565–
- zoisite, n.1805–
- zoism, n.1900–
- zoist, n.1843–
- zoistic, adj.1849–
- zoite, n.1963–
- -zoite, comb. form
Meaning & use
- 1609–Carping criticism like that of Zoilus.Stressed as ˈZoilism.
- 1609
The bitter humor of Zoilisme and malice.
N. Morgan, Perfection of Horse-manship 44 - a1682
Let not Zoilism or Detraction blast well intended labours.
Sir T. Browne, Christian Morals (1716) ii. 46 - 1753
I am convinced of your Endeavours to propogate the Cause of Zoilizm.
Gray's-Inn Journal No. 54
- plitchinga1400–50a. The action of plucking or snatching; b. carping, cavilling.
- carpingc1400–The action of carp, v.¹. Censorious speech: cavilling, fault-finding, captious criticism.
- cavillation1532–= cavil, n. 1. archaic.
- pinching1532The action of finding fault. Obsolete. rare.
- nibbling?1577–The action of nibble, v. (in various senses); an instance of this. Also: a portion nibbled or removed, a very small amount.
- Zoilism1609–Carping criticism like that of Zoilus.
- carp1618†(a) Discourse. Obsolete. rare. †(b) Power of speech. Obsolete. rare. (c) Carping speech, cavil (with play on carp, n.¹).
- snagging1642–
- find-faulting1654–1858Characterized by finding fault; fault-finding.
- word-catching1713–a. adj. Given to or characterized by catching at words, pedantic, carping; b. n. petty criticism, pedantry.
- pickthanking1861–63The action of pickthank, v.
- kvetchingc1950–The act or activity of criticizing or complaining a great deal.
- nitpicking1951–Pedantic criticism; petty or overzealous fault-finding.
- ankle-biting1985–colloquial. Persistent or irritating criticism or hostility.
Frequency
Zoilism typically occurs fewer than 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.
Zoilism is in frequency band 1, which contains words occurring fewer than 0.001 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands
Frequency of Zoilism, n., 1760–2010
* 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 |
|---|---|
| 1760 | 0.0013 |
| 1770 | 0.001 |
| 1780 | 0.0009 |
| 1790 | 0.001 |
| 1800 | 0.0002 |
| 1810 | 0.0008 |
| 1820 | 0.0008 |
| 1830 | 0.0012 |
| 1840 | 0.0013 |
| 1850 | 0.0013 |
| 1860 | 0.0012 |
| 1870 | 0.0013 |
| 1880 | 0.0009 |
| 1890 | 0.0009 |
| 1900 | 0.0006 |
| 1910 | 0.0006 |
| 1920 | 0.0006 |
| 1930 | 0.0005 |
| 1940 | 0.0004 |
| 1950 | 0.0004 |
| 1960 | 0.0003 |
| 1970 | 0.0003 |
| 1980 | 0.0003 |
| 1990 | 0.0002 |
| 2000 | 0.0002 |
| 2010 | 0.0002 |