Zeppelin, n.

zeppelin
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zeppelin_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2014

# Zeppelinnoun

## Earlier version

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

## Factsheet

### What does the noun Zeppelin mean?

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

Zeppelin has developed meanings and uses in subjects including

aviation (1890s) food and cooking (1910s) military (1910s)

### How is the noun Zeppelin pronounced?

#### British English

/ˈzɛpəlɪn/
ZEP-uh-lin
/ˈzɛpl̩ɪn/
ZEP-uhl-in

#### U.S. English

/ˈzɛp(ə)lən/
ZEP-uh-luhn

### Where does the noun Zeppelin come from?

Earliest known use

1890s

The earliest known use of the noun Zeppelin is in the 1890s.

OED's earliest evidence for Zeppelin is from 1896, in the Washington Post.

From a proper name.

Etymons: proper name Zeppelin.

### Nearby entries

1. zephyrian, adj. 1661–
2. zephyrine, adj. & n. 1819–
3. zephyring, adj. 1821–
4. zephyrless, adj. a1821–
5. zephyr-like, adv. & adj. 1765–
6. zephyr lily, n.?1877–
7. zephyrous, adj. a1750–
8. zephyry, adj. 1791–
9. Zepp, n. 1914–
10. Zepp, v. 1914–
11. Zeppelin, n.1896–
12. zeppelin, v. 1910–
13. Zeppelined, adj. 1915–
14. Zeppelining, n. 1915–
15. Zeppelinist, n. 1912–
16. Zeppelinistic, adj. 1930–
17. Zeppelinite, n. 1909–
18. zeppole, n. 1835–
19. zepto-, comb. form
20. zeranol, n. 1971–
21. zerda, n. 1780–1860

## Etymology

### Summary

From a proper name.
Etymon: proper name Zeppelin.
< the name of Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf von Zeppelin (1838–1917), German general and aircraft manufacturer, who designed airships of this kind.

Compare German Zeppelin (1908 in a work…
< the name of Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf von Zeppelin (1838–1917), German general and aircraft manufacturer, who designed airships of this kind.

Compare German Zeppelin (1908 in a work co-authored by Zeppelin; 1904 or earlier in Luftschiff Zeppelin), French zeppelin (1908 or earlier).

### Notes

Zeppelin's ideas for dirigible airships were first outlined in 1874 and his designs formulated in detail in 1893. They were patented in Germany in 1895 and in the United States in 1899.

## Meaning & use

Now chiefly historical.

1. 1.
   1896–
   In full Zeppelin airship. A large German dirigible airship of the early 20th cent., long and cylindrical in shape and with a rigid framework. Also more generally: an airship. Cf. Zepp n.
   Zeppelins were used for reconnaissance and bombing during the First World War (1914–18), and as passenger transports both briefly before the war and then until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.
   1. 1896

      > The Zeppelin air ship is described as a cigar-shaped vessel, which can be steered upward and downward, right and left, forward and backward, under practically every condition presented by the atmosphere.

      Washington Post 14 February 6/2
   2. 1908

      > The Zeppelin..circled down and grounded in Prospect Park, in order to land the wounded.

      H. G. Wells, War in Air viii. 258
   3. 1914

      > A Zeppelin has dropped bombs on Antwerp.

      F. T. Jane in Country Gentleman & Land & Water 12 September 15*/1
   4. 1934

      > Frankfurt is said to have been described by Dr. Eckener as the best airport for Zeppelins in Germany.

      Times 29 December 9/4
   5. 1971

      > He flies airplanes, gliders, balloons, zeppelins, and space vehicles.

      D. F. Downs, Culture in Crisis iii. 30
   6. 2006

      > Perhaps it was only one of a stream of incendiary bullets which found the gas-bag to bring a Zeppelin down in flames.

      Western Morning News (Plymouth) (Nexis) 8 August 8
   aviation historical
   1. ship 1664–
      A navigated vehicle which flies. Any of various aircraft or airborne machines (real or imaginary). Now esp. (chiefly Military): an aeroplane or…
   2. airship 1817–
      Originally: any of various aircraft or machines for flying (now rare). Now usually: spec. a dirigible, esp. one having a rigid elongated structure…
   3. air sailor 1834–
      a. A balloonist; an aeronaut; b. a hot-air balloon, an airship.
   4. navigable 1882–
      A navigable balloon or airship; a dirigible. Now rare (historical).
   5. dirigible 1885–
      A dirigible balloon or airship. Also transferred. (Cf. French dirigeable n.)
   6. Zeppelin 1896–
      In full Zeppelin airship. A large German dirigible airship of the early 20th cent., long and cylindrical in shape and with a rigid framework. Also…
   7. aeronat 1903–
      An airship, a dirigible.
   8. steerable 1908–
      A dirigible balloon. rare.
   9. Zepp 1914–
      = Zeppelin, n. 1.
   10. vessel 1915–
       An airship or hovercraft.
   View in Historical Thesaurus
2. 2.
   1915–
   slang (chiefly Military in early use). A sausage. Usually in Zeppelins in a cloud and variants: sausage and mash. Cf. Zepp n. 2.
   1. [1909

      > ‘Give me two sausages and mashed, waiter, and plenty of gravy..’ The polite waiter applied himself to the speaking tube: ‘Two Zeppelin airships on a cloud!’ he bellowed down, ‘and make zem rainy!’

      Arrow (Sydney) 18 September 16/4]
   2. 1915

      > [Report from London correspondent] If you happened to be a waiter or a waitress, and a customer asked for ‘two Zeppelins on a snow-cloud’, I wonder what you would get for him.

      Leader (Orange, New South Wales) 13 April
   3. 1916

      > They [sc. seamen in the British Navy] apply to the various dishes such quaint names as ‘schooner on a rock’, ‘a straight rush’, or ‘Zeppelins in a cloud’.

      Daily News (Perth, Western Australia) 23 June 8/7
   4. 1929

      > Zeppelins in a Fog, the modern naval name for sausages and mashed potatoes.

      F. C. Bowen, Sea Slang 154
   5. 1970

      > Zeppelins, Railway Canteen sausages.

      F. McKenna, Glossary of Railwaymen's Talk 35
   6. 1995

      > A supper of sausages and mash, referred to these days as zeppelins in a cloud.

      M. J. Staples, Echoes of Yesterday i. ix. 117
   food and cooking military colloquial and slang historical
   1. pudding 1287–
      The stomach or one of the entrails (in early use sometimes the neck) of a pig, sheep, or other animal, stuffed with a mixture of minced meat, suet…
   2. saucister 1347–1500
      A sausage.
   3. sauserling 1475–1570
      A sausage.
   4. pot a1500–
      A sausage; a black pudding. Now rare (English regional (south-western)).
   5. sausage a1500–
      In the original use, a quantity of finely chopped pork, beef, or other meat, spiced and flavoured, enclosed in a short length of the intestine of…
   6. gigot 1553–1656
      A minced meat, a sausage. Obsolete.
   7. ising c1560–1706
      A kind of ‘pudding’; a sausage: see quots.
   8. gut-pudding 1697–1722
      A sausage.
   9. small goods 1716–
      Small items of merchandise. Cf. good, n. B.III.10a.
   10. jegget 1736
   11. German duck 1785–1890
       a. A dish of sheepshead and onions; b. a sausage.
   12. pud 1828–
       = pudding, n. I.1, I.2. Cf. poke pud, n. Now rare.
   13. dog 1891–
       slang. Usually in plural. In early use: a sausage (see quot. 1948). Later (chiefly U.S.): short for hot dog, n. A.1b.
   14. Zepp 1915–
       = Zeppelin, n. 2. Usually in Zepps in a cloud and variants.
   15. Zeppelin 1915–
       slang (chiefly Military in early use). A sausage. Usually in Zeppelins in a cloud and variants: sausage and mash. Cf. Zepp, n. 2.
   16. wors 1923–
       A sausage; (as a mass noun) sausage meat. Also attributive, as worsmonger, wors roll, etc.
   17. snag 1927–
       A sausage.
   18. snorker 1935–
       Originally Australian and Navy slang. A sausage.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˈzɛpəlɪn/
ZEP-uh-lin
/ˈzɛpl̩ɪn/
ZEP-uhl-in

### U.S. English

/ˈzɛp(ə)lən/
ZEP-uh-luhn

####

##### 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 with lower-case initial.

## Compounds & derived words

Sort by

1. Zeppelinite, n. 1909–
   A supporter or advocate of the use of Zeppelins.

1. zeppelin, v. 1910–
   Chiefly U.S. intransitive. To move in a manner…

1. Zeppelinist, n. 1912–
   A member of the crew of a Zeppelin.

1. Zepp, n. 1914–
   = Zeppelin, n. 1.

1. Zeppelining, n. 1915–
   In the First World War (1914–18): the use of…

1. Zeppelinistic, adj. 1930–
   Resembling a Zeppelin in shape.

1. 1912–
   General attributive, as Zeppelin attack, Zeppelin raid, etc.
   1. 1912

      > But in another sense the Zeppelin flight is ominous of new perils.

      Review of Reviews July 7/2
   2. 1914

      > Zeppelin attack on Antwerp.

      Times 26 August 7/4 (headline)
   3. 1914

      > Our house is well adapted for a Zeppelin raid, as the basement has two exits, back and front..so there is little fear of being trapped underground, even if the house did partly collapse.

      G. Lee, Diary 30 December in Home Fires Burning (2006) 73
   4. 1923

      > The order to close the shutters on Zeppelin nights.

      G. K. Chesterton, Fancies versus Fads xi. 93
   5. 1965

      > [He] flew missions over the Western front and London during the zeppelin attacks by the Germans.

      New York Times 8 August 64/4
   6. 1980

      > Diagrams showing how the blast of zeppelin bombs could be expected to spread.

      G. M. Fraser, Mr American xxvi. 543
   7. 1999

      > She retained happier memories of playing racing demon during zeppelin raids.

      Daily Telegraph 13 April 25/1
   historical

Zeppelin, n. was revised in June 2014.

Zeppelin, n. was last modified in December 2024.