Zion, n.

zion
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zion_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2021

# Zionnoun

## Earlier version

- Zion in OED Second Edition (1989)

## In other dictionaries

- Sīọ̄̆n, n.(2) in Middle English Dictionary

## Factsheet

### What does the noun Zion mean?

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

Zion has developed meanings and uses in subjects including

religion (Old English) Methodism (1820s)

### How common is the noun Zion?

About 0.9occurrences per million words in modern written English

1750 | 0.85
1760 | 0.84
1770 | 0.85
1780 | 0.85
1790 | 0.83
1800 | 0.85
1810 | 0.84
1820 | 0.84
1830 | 0.82
1840 | 0.84
1850 | 0.85
1860 | 0.85
1870 | 0.84
1880 | 0.86
1890 | 0.86
1900 | 0.84
1910 | 0.85
1920 | 0.87
1930 | 0.87
1940 | 0.87
1950 | 0.86
1960 | 0.86
1970 | 0.86
1980 | 0.86
1990 | 0.86
2000 | 0.87
2010 | 0.87

### How is the noun Zion pronounced?

#### British English

/ˈzʌɪən/
ZIGH-uhn
/ˈzʌɪɒn/
ZIGH-on

#### U.S. English

/ˈzaɪən/
ZIGH-uhn

### Where does the noun Zion come from?

Earliest known use

Old English

The earliest known use of the noun Zion is in the Old English period (pre-1150).

Zion is a borrowing from Latin.

Etymons: Latin Sion.

### Nearby entries

1. zingo, int. 1906–
2. zingy, adj. 1938–
3. Zinjanthropus, n. 1959–
4. zinke, n. 1773–
5. zinnia, n. 1761–
6. zinnober green, n. 1879–
7. zinnwaldite, n. 1850–
8. zino, n. 1982–
9. Zinovievite, adj. & n. 1936–
10. Zinoviev letter, n. 1924–
11. Zion, n.Old English–
12. Zion Curtain, n. 1951–
13. Zioner, n. 1681–1760
14. Zionism, n. 1896–
15. Zionist, n. & adj. a1649–
16. Zionistic, adj. 1887–
17. Zionite, n. 1596–
18. Zionless, adj. 1908
19. Zionward, adv. 1647–
20. Zionwards, adv. 1674–
21. zip, n.² & adj. 1900–

## Etymology

### Summary

A borrowing from Latin.
Etymon: Latin Sion.
< post-classical Latin Sion the name of one of the hills of Jerusalem, also (in extended use) the city of Jerusalem (especially in filia Sion ‘daughter Zion’), the Jewish people, the heavenly city…
< post-classical Latin Sion the name of one of the hills of Jerusalem, also (in extended use) the city of Jerusalem (especially in filia Sion ‘daughter Zion’), the Jewish people, the heavenly city (Vulgate), the Church (4th or 5th cent. in Augustine) < Hellenistic Greek Σιών one of the hills of Jerusalem, also (in extended use) the city of Jerusalem (especially in ἡ θυγάτηρ Σιών ‘daughter Zion’), the Jewish people, the heavenly city (Septuagint, New Testament) < Hebrew Ṣiyyōn, the name of one of the hills of Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:7, etc.), and hence (in extended use, e.g. in the personification baṯ-Ṣiyyōn ‘daughter Zion’) of the city of Jerusalem or its population; the place name is of uncertain and disputed origin (a connection with a Hebrew root meaning ‘dry, arid’ has often been suggested, but is not secure).

### Notes

The form with initial z is apparently first attested in the Geneva Bible. With it perhaps compare Middle French, French Zion (1535 or earlier), variant of the more common Sion (12th cent. in Old French). German Zion (16th cent., e.g. in Luther) is pronounced with initial /ts/ (so could have influenced the French and English forms with z- only by purely graphic analogy); it perhaps reflects an Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew place name.

## Meaning & use

1. 1.
   Old English–
   A biblical name for: the city of Jerusalem; (hence) the land of Israel, esp. the biblical land of Israel regarded as the historical or divinely ordained homeland of the Jewish people (cf. Zionism n. 1).
   [After the name of one of the hills of Jerusalem on which the city of David was built, which became the centre of Jewish life and worship; see etymology.]
   1. OE

      > Ða halgan farað fram mihte to mihte, ealra goda God bið gesewen on Sion.

      Ælfric, Catholic Homilies: 2nd Series (Cambridge MS. Gg.3.28) xx. 191
   2. lOE

      > Ezechiel se wytega cwyðð, Eala þu Syon, þin king cumð & þe gestaðeleð.

      St. James the Greater (Vespasian MS.) in R. D.-N. Warner, Early English Homilies (1917) 21
   3. (a1382)

      > That thou plaunte heuenus, and founde erthe, and sey to Sion [Latin Sion], My puple thou art.

      Bible (Wycliffite, early version) (Douce MS. 369(1)) (1850) Isaiah li. 16
      [Composed a1382]
   4. 1596

      > Such being the ancient league of God to Sion Necessiting her Peace to such temptation And yet withall protesting his protection Therto.

      A. Copley, Fig for Fortune 79
   5. a1677

      > Where great multitudes with store of Cattle, travailed towards Zion upon these solemn occasions, they had their difficulties and discouragements by the way.

      T. Manton, Sermon (1693) vol. IV. 1001
   6. 1819

      > These Gentiles, cruel and oppressive as they are, are in some sort dependent on the dispersed children of Zion, whom they despise and persecute.

      W. Scott, Ivanhoe vol. I. x. 204
   7. 1910

      > He pled with God to forget the sins of his people, to recall the bondage of Zion.

      J. Buchan, Prester John xi. 112
   8. 1979

      > An old man used to sing the songs of Zion in the local markets, among the street traders.

      L. Blue, Backdoor to Heaven (1985) iv. 30
   9. 2009

      > The dream of the Jews to return to Zion is as old as the Diaspora.

      G. Lewis, Balfour & Weizmann ii. 9
   religion
   1. God's house Old English–
      A place of worship; = house of God at house, n.¹ A.I.2.
   2. halidom Old English–1845
      A holy place, chapel, sanctuary. archaic.
   3. holiness Old English–1300
      concrete. A holy place, sanctuary; a holy thing, an object of religious devotion. Obsolete.
   4. house Old English–
      A place of worship, originally considered as the abode of God, or a god; a temple; a church. Usually in house of God, the Lord's house, house of p…
   5. Zion Old English–
      A biblical name for: the city of Jerusalem; (hence) the land of Israel, esp. the biblical land of Israel regarded as the historical or divinely…
   6. wike-tun a1250
      ? a place for divine service.
   7. saintuaire a1300–1480
      Sanctuary.
   8. sanctuary a1340–
      gen. A building or place set apart for the worship of God or of one or more divinities: applied, e.g., to a Christian church, the Jewish temple and…
   9. holy 1382
      A holy place, sanctuary. Obsolete (except as in sense A.5).
   10. entry?c1400
       A shrine, a sanctuary. Obsolete. rare.
   11. the Holy (Saint) Sepulchre (occasionally the Sepulchre) c1400
       the Holy (†Saint) Sepulchre (occasionally the Sepulchre): The cave in which Jesus Christ was buried outside the walls of Jerusalem; hence, the…
   12. high place a1425–
       Chiefly in biblical or allusive use, with reference to other religions: a place of worship or sacrifice on a hill or high ground; the altar and…
   13. place of worship?1459–
       †(a) The house of a person of rank or religious community, a reputable house (obsolete); (b) an honourable or prestigious post or position; (c) a…
   14. synagogue 1490–1655
       transferred. A place of worship; a temple. In post-Reformation use applied disparagingly to abbeys or the like. Obsolete.
   15. God-box?1548–
       A thing or person imagined as containing God or a god; (formerly also disparaging) (probably) †a pyx; (slang) a church or other place of worship…
   16. conventicle?1550–1927
       A place of worship in the early Christian church. Obsolete.
   17. shrine a1577–
       figurative in contexts referring to the veneration or idolizing of some person or thing.
   18. bethel a1617–
       A hallowed spot; a place where God is worshipped; the pillar that marks such a place. (See Gen. xxviii. 17.)
   19. prayer house 1657–
   20. barn 1689–
       Applied to: A barn-like building for worship.
   21. bidental 1692–
       A place struck by lightning, consecrated by the haruspices, and enclosed. Also figurative.
   22. altar 1772–
       Christian Church. In the Eastern Orthodox Church: the place in which the holy table is situated, including the area behind the iconostasis and the…
   23. Zion 1828–
       Christian Church. Among some Nonconformist groups, esp. Baptists or Methodists: a place of worship or meeting house. Cf. bethel, n., Ebenezer, n.…
   24. praying house a1843–
   View in Historical Thesaurus
2. 1. 2.a.
      1530–
      In early use: an ideal or elevated spiritual state; (also) people who have attained such a state. Later: a society or place which embodies or represents a particular set of religious or spiritual principles or ideals. Cf. Israel n. A.2, Jerusalem n. 1.
      In later use often in Protestant or Nonconformist contexts, and associated esp. with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons). The term is now also used among Rastafarians, often in contrast with Babylon (see Babylon n.2 3).
      1. 1530

         > By Syon..ys vnderstonde sowles that are gyuen to contemplacyon, where in oure lorde Iesu chryste ys sewrely stabled.

         Myroure of Oure Ladye (Fawkes) (1873) ii. 147
      2. 1530

         > As ye are doughtres of this bodely Syon, so ought ye to be doughtres of Syon gostly.

         Myroure of Oure Ladye (Fawkes) (1873) 1st Prologue 2
      3. a1542

         > Make Syon, lord, accordyng to thy will, Inward Syon, the Syon of the ghost.

         T. Wyatt, Collected Poems (1969) 115
      4. 1611

         > Many, who wished not well vnto our Sion.

         in Bible (King James) Epistle Ded. sig. A2
      5. 1779

         > Solid joys and lasting treasure None but Zion's children know.

         J. Newton in J. Newton & W. Cowper, Olney Hymns i. 72
      6. 1823

         > That same city of St. Andrews is the Zion of Scotland. Of old, the glad tidings of salvation were first heard there.

         J. Galt, Ringan Gilhaize vol. I. xx. 229
      7. 1991

         > When a conflict arises between the clarion calls of Mormondom and patriotism, Zion may prevail.

         Wilson Quarterly Spring 42/2
      8. 1994

         > The early Rastafarians took heart in the dream of a black ‘Zion’ which would eclipse the white-dominated ‘Babylon’ which surrounded them.

         T. Polhemus, Street Style 76
      9. 2014

         > In the Afrofuturist imagination, outer space appears as an extra-terrestrial Zion, a sanctuary from the Armageddon on earth.

         New York Review of Books 9 January 50/4
      religion
      1. Zion 1530–
         In early use: an ideal or elevated spiritual state; (also) people who have attained such a state. Later: a society or place which embodies or…
      View in Historical Thesaurus
      1. Zion 1530–
         In early use: an ideal or elevated spiritual state; (also) people who have attained such a state. Later: a society or place which embodies or…
      2. utopia 1533–
         With capital initial. An imaginary island in Sir Thomas More's Utopia (1516), presented by the narrator as having a perfect social, legal, and…
      3. Pantisocracy 1794–
         A utopian community based on this ideal, in which all are equal and all rule; spec. the community which Southey and Coleridge at one time planned…
      View in Historical Thesaurus
   2. 2.b.
      1828–
      Christian Church. Among some Nonconformist groups, esp. Baptists or Methodists: a place of worship or meeting house. Cf. bethel n., Ebenezer n. 2. Now historical.
      1. 1828

         > What think you of the tremendous increase of Zions, Zoars, Ebenezers, Bethels, and a multiplicity of other puritanical names, which now unhappily inundate this land?

         S. Dales, Quakers & Cock Robins 45
      2. 1857

         > They would..stick him up in some new Sion or Bethesda, and put the cathedral quite out of fashion.

         A. Trollope, Barchester Towers vol. I. vii. 100
      3. 2006

         > Throughout Cardiff and the Valleys the Bethels, Carmels, Salems, Ebenezers and Zions have largely disappeared.

         South Wales Echo (Nexis) 16 February 38
      Methodism historical
      1. God's house Old English–
         A place of worship; = house of God at house, n.¹ A.I.2.
      2. halidom Old English–1845
         A holy place, chapel, sanctuary. archaic.
      3. holiness Old English–1300
         concrete. A holy place, sanctuary; a holy thing, an object of religious devotion. Obsolete.
      4. house Old English–
         A place of worship, originally considered as the abode of God, or a god; a temple; a church. Usually in house of God, the Lord's house, house of p…
      5. Zion Old English–
         A biblical name for: the city of Jerusalem; (hence) the land of Israel, esp. the biblical land of Israel regarded as the historical or divinely…
      6. wike-tun a1250
         ? a place for divine service.
      7. saintuaire a1300–1480
         Sanctuary.
      8. sanctuary a1340–
         gen. A building or place set apart for the worship of God or of one or more divinities: applied, e.g., to a Christian church, the Jewish temple and…
      9. holy 1382
         A holy place, sanctuary. Obsolete (except as in sense A.5).
      10. entry?c1400
          A shrine, a sanctuary. Obsolete. rare.
      11. the Holy (Saint) Sepulchre (occasionally the Sepulchre) c1400
          the Holy (†Saint) Sepulchre (occasionally the Sepulchre): The cave in which Jesus Christ was buried outside the walls of Jerusalem; hence, the…
      12. high place a1425–
          Chiefly in biblical or allusive use, with reference to other religions: a place of worship or sacrifice on a hill or high ground; the altar and…
      13. place of worship?1459–
          †(a) The house of a person of rank or religious community, a reputable house (obsolete); (b) an honourable or prestigious post or position; (c) a…
      14. synagogue 1490–1655
          transferred. A place of worship; a temple. In post-Reformation use applied disparagingly to abbeys or the like. Obsolete.
      15. God-box?1548–
          A thing or person imagined as containing God or a god; (formerly also disparaging) (probably) †a pyx; (slang) a church or other place of worship…
      16. conventicle?1550–1927
          A place of worship in the early Christian church. Obsolete.
      17. shrine a1577–
          figurative in contexts referring to the veneration or idolizing of some person or thing.
      18. bethel a1617–
          A hallowed spot; a place where God is worshipped; the pillar that marks such a place. (See Gen. xxviii. 17.)
      19. prayer house 1657–
      20. barn 1689–
          Applied to: A barn-like building for worship.
      21. bidental 1692–
          A place struck by lightning, consecrated by the haruspices, and enclosed. Also figurative.
      22. altar 1772–
          Christian Church. In the Eastern Orthodox Church: the place in which the holy table is situated, including the area behind the iconostasis and the…
      23. Zion 1828–
          Christian Church. Among some Nonconformist groups, esp. Baptists or Methodists: a place of worship or meeting house. Cf. bethel, n., Ebenezer, n.…
      24. praying house a1843–
      View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˈzʌɪən/
ZIGH-uhn
/ˈzʌɪɒn/
ZIGH-on

### U.S. English

/ˈzaɪən/
ZIGH-uhn

####

##### 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

1. Old English–1500s
   Syon
2. Old English–
   Sion
3. 1600s–
   Zion

## Frequency

Zion typically occurs about 0.9 times per million words in modern written English.

Zion is in frequency band 4, which contains words occurring between 0.1 and 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 Zion, 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 | 0.85
1760 | 0.84
1770 | 0.85
1780 | 0.85
1790 | 0.83
1800 | 0.85
1810 | 0.84
1820 | 0.84
1830 | 0.82
1840 | 0.84
1850 | 0.85
1860 | 0.85
1870 | 0.84
1880 | 0.86
1890 | 0.86
1900 | 0.84
1910 | 0.85
1920 | 0.87
1930 | 0.87
1940 | 0.87
1950 | 0.86
1960 | 0.86
1970 | 0.86
1980 | 0.86
1990 | 0.86
2000 | 0.87
2010 | 0.87

### Frequency of Zion, n., 2017–2024

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Modern frequency series are derived from a corpus of 20 billion words, covering the period from 2017 to the present. The corpus is mainly compiled from online news sources, and covers all major varieties of World English.

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 corpus.

Period | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
2017 | 0.16
2018 | 0.16
2019 | 0.16
2020 | 0.17
2021 | 0.17
2022 | 0.15
2023 | 0.15
2024 | 0.15

## Compounds & derived words

Sort by

1. Zionite, n. 1596–
   A member of a religious group believing in an…

1. Zionward, adv. 1647–
   Towards or in the direction of an idealized place…

1. Zionist, n. & adj. a1649–
   Originally: an advocate or supporter of a…

1. Zionwards, adv. 1674–
   Towards or in the direction of an idealized place…

1. Zioner, n. 1681–1760
   A member of a religious group believing in an…

1. Zionistic, adj. 1887–
   Relating to or advocating Zionism (Zionism, n…

1. Zionism, n. 1896–
   Originally: a movement among Jewish people for…

1. Zionless, adj. 1908
   Having no Zion (Zion, n. 2b) or centre of common…

1. Zion Curtain, n. 1951–
   A cultural boundary or barrier regarded as…

Zion, n. was revised in March 2021.

Zion, n. was last modified in December 2024.