Zamboni, n.

zamboni
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zamboni_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
First published 1986; not fully revised

# Zamboninoun

## Earlier version

- Zamboni in OED Second Edition (1989)

## Factsheet

### What does the noun Zamboni mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun Zamboni. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

This word is used in North American English.

#### 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 Zamboni?

About 0.07occurrences per million words in modern written English

2017 | 0.0068
2018 | 0.0078
2019 | 0.0063
2020 | 0.0041
2021 | 0.003
2022 | 0.0029
2023 | 0.0008
2024 | 0.0012

### How is the noun Zamboni pronounced?

#### British English

/zamˈbəʊni/
zam-BOH-nee

#### U.S. English

/ˌzæmˈboʊni/
zam-BOH-nee

### Where does the noun Zamboni come from?

Earliest known use

1960s

The earliest known use of the noun Zamboni is in the 1960s.

OED's earliest evidence for Zamboni is from 1965, in Official Gazette.

From a proper name.

### Nearby entries

1. zamacueca, n. 1855–
2. Zamak, n. 1926–
3. zamang, n. 1819–
4. zamarra, n. 1841–
5. zama zama, n. 2006–
6. Zamazim, n. a1400–
7. Zambian, adj. & n. 1959–
8. Zambianization, n. 1964–
9. Zambianize, v. 1964–
10. zambo, n. 1819–
11. Zamboni, n.1965–
12. zambra, n. 1672–
13. zambuk, n. 1906–
14. zamburak, n. 1825–
15. zami, n. 1977–
16. Zamia, n. 1819–
17. zamindar, n. 1683–
18. zamindari, n. & adj. 1742–
19. zamindarship, n. 1698–1902
20. zamioid, adj. 1860–
21. zamorin, n. 1582–

## Etymology

### Summary

From a proper name.
< Zamboni, the name of a company (see quot. 1965).

## Meaning & use

Chiefly North American.

1. 1965–
   A proprietary name for a machine used to resurface ice rinks.
   1. 1965

      > Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Paramount, Calif... Zamboni for ice resurfacing machines and dump attachments therefor. First use July 1962.

      Official Gazette (U.S. Patent Office) 16 February tm93
   2. 1968

      > Zamboni... Machines for resurfacing ice rinks and parts and fittings therefor.

      Trade Marks Journal 3 April 517/2
   3. 1974

      > With 12 scrapers, I could do that ice in nine minutes. With the Zamboni, it took a little longer..but I will have to admit it does do a better job.

      Whig-Standard (Kingston, Ontario) 11 July 14/2
   4. 1978

      > A crack in the boards near the door used by the zamboni helped Guindon open the scoring.

      Winnipeg Free Press 25 September 53/4
   5. 1984

      > Then the ice was glazed by a smooth-nosed French cousin of the Zamboni before another Soviet skater..glided to gold medals.

      New York Times 11 February i. 22/6
   mechanics North American English
   1. reeler 1598–
      A device for winding yarn, paper, etc., on to a reel or reels; a reeling machine. Now chiefly Papermaking.
   2. driver 1659–
      A wedge-shaped tool used by coopers in conjunction with a mallet to drive hoops on to a barrel. Also: a machine, or component of a machine, which…
   3. rubber 1747–
      A part of some apparatus which operates by rubbing; a machine which acts by rubbing. Formerly also: †a brake acting by friction on the wheels of…
   4. dressing machine 1795–
      a. A machine used for removing unwanted material from something in preparation for further refinement or processing; b. Printing a machine used for…
   5. heading machine 1795–
      Manufacturing Technology. A machine for forming the heads on various small metal parts, esp. on fastenings such as nails and rivets.
   6. bruiser 1809–
      Any machine, tool, or other implement used for bruising or crushing something, esp. a grain or fodder crop. Also with modifying word. Now chiefly…
   7. chipping machine 1823–
      A machine used for breaking down material (esp. wood) into chips (cf. wood chipper, n.); spec. (in early use) such a machine used to prepare…
   8. finisher 1835–
      spec. In various trades: The workman, or machine, that performs the final operation in manufacture.
   9. stripper 1835–
      A machine or appliance for stripping.
   10. physionotype 1836–
       A machine for taking casts and imprints of human faces.
   11. rotary 1836–
       A rotary machine or engine; spec. a rotary printing press.
   12. tetraspaston 1842–
       See quot.
   13. self-stripper 1844–
       A device designed to automatically remove detritus from the cards of a carding machine.
   14. netting-machine 1846–77
   15. speeder 1847–
       A device or contrivance for quickening or regulating the speed of machinery; also, a kind of roving-machine used in cotton-manufacture.
   16. boxing machine 1850–
       a. A machine used for boring a hole, esp. for the box of a wheel (cf. box, n.² II.7) (now chiefly historical); b. a machine used for packing items…
   17. dresser 1855–
       Any of various machines used for removing unwanted material from something in preparation for further refinement or processing; a dressing machine.
   18. spacer 1857–
       An object or device used to make a space, interval, or division; (also) a mechanism that regulates or controls spacing.
   19. starcher 1862–
       A machine used to starch clothing, cloth, etc. Now rare.
   20. bronzing liquid, machine 1865–
       The action of bronze, v. Also attributive, as in bronzing liquid, machine, bronzing salt, etc.
   21. finishing machine 1869–
   22. grader 1869–
       A machine for ‘grading’ (in various senses).
   23. brain machine 1872–
       A machine used to affect, examine, or monitor the brain.
   24. peanut roaster 1872–
       a. A machine in which peanuts are roasted; b. U.S. slang, a vehicle, piece of machinery, etc., that puffs or hisses.
   25. bending machine 1874–
       The action or process of shaping wood, iron, or other material by pressure instead of by cutting or casting. Chiefly attributive and in other…
   26. gadding car 1874–
       A machine designed to drill straight lines of holes in rock for the insertion of gads, consisting of one or more rock drills mounted on a wheeled…
   27. screw-machine 1876–
       More fully standard screw machine. A machine used for attaching soles to shoes by inserting and cutting off lengths of threaded wire. Now historical…
   28. gadding machine 1877–
       A machine designed to drill straight lines of holes in rock for the insertion of gads, consisting of one or more rock drills mounted on a wheeled…
   29. tire-upsetting-machine 1877–
       (See quot.). See also under tyre, n.¹
   30. hot curving machine 1880
       A device for bending hot-rolled rails.
   31. buncher?1881–
       One who or that which bunches; spec. a machine for forming bunches or collecting things in bunches.
   32. flax-breaker 1889–
       = flax-brake, n.
   33. oscillator 1889–
       An apparatus for generating oscillatory electric currents, or for generating electromagnetic waves by means of such currents. Also: a device for…
   34. fluoroscope 1893–
       Medicine and Materials Science. An apparatus used to obtain an instantaneous X-ray image of an object (originally on a fluorescent screen, later…
   35. fluorometer 1897–
       Medicine. An apparatus used in conjunction with a fluoroscope to locate accurately the position of foreign objects within the body. Now historical.
   36. mucker 1916–
       Chiefly North American. A small excavator or digger.
   37. spray dryer 1921–
       A machine or installation that performs spray drying.
   38. paver 1926–
       A machine for depositing and spreading surfacing material for a road, etc.
   39. teabagger 1940–
       A machine that makes tea bags; a company that makes or sells tea bags.
   40. texturizer 1949–
       A machine or device designed to give something a particular texture. Also: a company involved in the texturizing of materials or products, esp. yarn.
   41. burster 1950–
       A machine or device for bursting stationery (see burst, v. III.9d).
   42. icemaker 1953–
       A machine designed to produce artificial ice for a skating rink or similar location.
   43. laminator 1958–
       A machine for making laminates, esp. one for bonding paper or the like to plastic film.
   44. slipform (concrete) paver 1958–
       A mould open at both ends in which a structure of uniform cross-section is cast by filling it with concrete and continually moving and refilling…
   45. extruder 1959–
       A machine that extrudes (see extrude, v.).
   46. Zamboni 1965–
       A proprietary name for a machine used to resurface ice rinks.
   47. manipulator 1968–
       More fully manipulator arm. Any mechanical device capable of manipulative operations resembling those of a human hand or arm.
   48. wave machine 1968–
       An apparatus for producing waves in water.
   49. pipelayer 1969–
       A person who or machine which lays pipes for water, gas, etc.
   50. walking machine 1971–
       a. A machine which assists a person in walking; b. a machine which is able to walk and is controlled by a person.
   51. change-maker 1979–
       a. U.S. a person who exchanges a sum of money for the same sum in a different denomination, especially as a profession; (also) any of various…
   52. brush-puller
       A machine for pulling up brushwood by the roots.
   53. cigar-bundler
       A machine for binding cigars in bundles.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/zamˈbəʊni/
zam-BOH-nee

### U.S. English

/ˌzæmˈboʊni/
zam-BOH-nee

####

##### 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 zamboni.

## Frequency

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

Zamboni 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 Zamboni, n., 1960–2010

* 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
--- | ---
1960 | 0.06
1970 | 0.064
1980 | 0.067
1990 | 0.067
2000 | 0.073
2010 | 0.077

### Frequency of Zamboni, 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 | 0.0068
2018 | 0.0078
2019 | 0.0063
2020 | 0.0041
2021 | 0.003
2022 | 0.0029
2023 | 0.0008
2024 | 0.0012

Zamboni, n. was first published in 1986; not fully revised.

Zamboni, n. was last modified in July 2023.