Zoilistnoun
Factsheet
What does the noun Zoilist mean?
There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun Zoilist. 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 Zoilist?
| 1820 | 0.0007 |
| 1830 | 0.0005 |
| 1840 | 0.0005 |
| 1850 | 0.0004 |
| 1860 | 0.0006 |
| 1870 | 0.0004 |
| 1880 | 0.0004 |
| 1890 | 0.0004 |
| 1900 | 0.0004 |
| 1910 | 0.0004 |
| 1920 | 0.0004 |
| 1930 | 0.0003 |
| 1940 | 0.0003 |
| 1950 | 0.0002 |
| 1960 | 0.0001 |
| 1970 | 0.0001 |
| 1980 | 0.0001 |
| 1990 | 0.0001 |
| 2000 | 0.00008 |
| 2010 | 0.00009 |
Where does the noun Zoilist come from?
Earliest known use
late 1500s
The earliest known use of the noun Zoilist is in the late 1500s.
OED's earliest evidence for Zoilist is from 1594, in the writing of Thomas Nashe, writer.
Nearby entries
- 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
- zol, n.1946–
Meaning & use
- 1594–An imitator of Zoilus, a carping critic.Stressed as ˈZoilist.
- 1594
The ploddinger sort of vnlearned Zoilists about London, exclaim, that it is a puft-up stile.
T. Nashe, Christs Teares (new edition) To Reader - 1694
Some prevaricating Zoilist will arraign my Hypothesis.
R. Franck, Northern Memoirs Preface p. xxvii - 1716
Polydore Virgil, Dr. John Cay, with other Zoilists, reported that his Poetical Wit made him so conceited.
M. Davies, Athenæ Britannicæ vol. II. 87 - a1849
The same class of fastidious wits who in France became Zoilists, in England were the stoutest stickers to Homer.
H. Coleridge, Essays & Marginalia (1851) vol. II. 75
- plucker-atc1500A person who plucks someone or something (in various senses of the verb). Also with adverbs.
- pick-fault1544–a. n. A fault-finder; †b. adj. fault-finding (Obsolete).
- pick mote1549A person who draws attention to trivial faults in others (in 1549 as part of a humorous, mocking title).
- trip-taker1556One who ‘takes another in a trip’, a fault-finder.
- mome1563–1676A carping critic.
- Momus1563–a. The Greek god of censure and ridicule, who was banished from Olympus for his criticisms of the gods; (also) a representation of the god. b. A…
- Zoilus1565–Name of a Greek critic and grammarian (4th century b.c.) famous for his severe criticism of Homer; transferred (with plural Zoili, Zoiluses), a…
- find-fault1567–A person who finds fault (see fault, n. 6); a fault-finder, a censorious person.
- caviller1574–One who cavils; a captious or frivolous objector, a quibbling disputant.
- carper1579–One who carps. A fault-finder, a caviller, a captious critic.
- sheep-biter?1589–1778figurative. a. ? A malicious or censorious fellow. b. A shifty, sneaking, or thievish fellow. Cf. sheep-biting, n. Obsolete.
- Zoilist1594–An imitator of Zoilus, a carping critic.
- momist1597–1641A person who habitually finds fault; a harsh critic.
- word-catcher1659–a. A person who catches or cavils at words, a petty or carping critic (now rare); b. a person who catches or makes a collection of words.
- knocker1898–A fault-finder, one who is much given to captious criticism. (Cf. knock, v. 2g) colloquial (originally U.S.).
- crabber1909–One who finds fault or criticizes adversely.
- kvetch1936–A detestable or unpleasant person; esp. a person who criticizes or complains a great deal.
- tearer-downer1942–One who tears down, a carping critic (cf. tear, v.¹ I.3h).
- nitpicker1951–A pedantic critic; a petty fault-finder.
- kvetcher1968–= kvetch, n. 1.
Frequency
Zoilist typically occurs fewer than 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.
Zoilist 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 Zoilist, n., 1820–2010
* 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 |
|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0007 |
| 1830 | 0.0005 |
| 1840 | 0.0005 |
| 1850 | 0.0004 |
| 1860 | 0.0006 |
| 1870 | 0.0004 |
| 1880 | 0.0004 |
| 1890 | 0.0004 |
| 1900 | 0.0004 |
| 1910 | 0.0004 |
| 1920 | 0.0004 |
| 1930 | 0.0003 |
| 1940 | 0.0003 |
| 1950 | 0.0002 |
| 1960 | 0.0001 |
| 1970 | 0.0001 |
| 1980 | 0.0001 |
| 1990 | 0.0001 |
| 2000 | 0.00008 |
| 2010 | 0.00009 |