Z band, n.

z-band
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/z-band_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
First published 1986; not fully revised

# Z bandnoun

## Factsheet

### What does the noun Z band mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun Z band. 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 Z band?

About 0.03occurrences per million words in modern written English

1950 | 0.036
1960 | 0.032
1970 | 0.029
1980 | 0.026
1990 | 0.027
2000 | 0.026
2010 | 0.02

### Where does the noun Z band come from?

Earliest known use

1950s

The earliest known use of the noun Z band is in the 1950s.

OED's earliest evidence for Z band is from 1950, in the writing of A. W. Ham.

### Nearby entries

1. Zarp, n. 1895–
2. zarzuela, n. 1888–
3. zat, n. 1934–
4. zatch, n. 1950–
5. zawiya, n. 1836–
6. zawn, n. 1865–
7. zayat, n. 1823–
8. zayde, n. 1946–
9. zazen, n. 1727–
10. zazzy, adj. 1961–
11. Z band, n.1950–
12. ZBB, n. 1976–
13. Z-bed, n. 1973–
14. Z-car, n. 1961–
15. Z-day, n. 1925–
16. Z-DNA, n. 1979–
17. ze, pron. 1864–
18. zea, n. 1562–
19. zeagonite, n. 1823–
20. zeal, n. a1382–
21. zeal, v. 1542–1687

## Meaning & use

Histology.

1. 1950–
   See Z line n.
   1. 1950

      > When a substantial degree of contraction has occurred, an appearance, often referred to as a ‘reversal of striations’, becomes apparent. This is due to the substance of the myofibril on each side of the Z band, which was formerly light, becoming dark, and the dark material of the Q band becoming light.

      A. W. Ham, Histology xix. 283/1
   2. 1964

      > The segment from one Z-band to the next, along a fibril, is termed a sarcomere.

      G. H. Haggis et al., Introduction to Molecular Biology iv. 101
   3. 1970

      > The major cross bands of the myofibrils are the A and I bands... In the center of the I band is a thin dark line known as the Z (Zwischenscheibe) band, or intermediate line of Krause; the Z band attaches to the sarcolemma at the periphery of the cell.

      Fallis & Ashworth, Textbook Human Histology viii. 58
   anatomy physiology
   1. well a1400–25
      Surgery. A hollow between muscles or tendons, esp. one used as a site for cautery; = fontanelle, n. 1a. Obsolete.
   2. fontanelle?a1425–1541
      Anatomy. A natural hollow on the surface of the body, typically one located between two muscles or tendons. Cf. well, n.¹ II.7. Obsolete.
   3. head?a1425–
      The upper or principal extremity of various things, esp. when projecting, distinct, removable, or of… Anatomy. The end of a muscle that remains…
   4. belly 1591–
      The bulging part e.g. of a pot or bottle; a suddenly widened part of a vein of ore; the central portion of a muscle, etc.
   5. venter 1615–1728
      Anatomy. (See quot. 1728.) Obsolete.
   6. tail 1719–
      A thing, part, or appendage, resembling the tail of an animal in shape or position. The attenuated part of a muscle at its insertion.
   7. myotome 1857–
      Embryology and Zoology. A part of the embryonic mesoderm which gives rise to the skeletal muscles; each of the metameric segments of this. Also…
   8. sclerotome 1857–
      A sclerous element intervening between successive myotomes.
   9. myomere 1868–
      Each of a series of blocks of mesodermal tissue situated on either side of the spine in vertebrate embryos; (also) each of the muscle blocks…
   10. muscle spindle 1894–
       A fusiform bundle of specialized muscle fibres with sensory and motor innervation enclosed in a capsule of connective tissue, present in large…
   11. spindle 1894–
       Anatomy. = muscle spindle, n.
   12. Z line 1916–
       A transverse dark line in a fibril of striated muscle formed by Krause's membrane (see Krause, n. b); the membrane itself.
   13. Z band 1950–
   14. dyad 1957–
       Anatomy. A structure found in vertebrate cardiac muscle and some insect muscle, consisting of a transverse tubule in contact with a terminal cisterna…
   15. triad 1957–
       Anatomy. A structure found in the striated skeletal muscle of most vertebrates, which consists of a transverse tubule of the T-system in contact…
   View in Historical Thesaurus
   1. aponeurosis 1676–
      A white, shining, fibrous membrane, sometimes serving as the sheath of a muscle, sometimes forming the connection between a muscle and a tendon.
   2. myolema 1840
      = sarcolemma, n.
   3. sarcolemma 1840–
      The fine transparent tubular sheath investing muscular fibre.
   4. perimysium 1842–
      The connective tissue or fascia that forms sheaths around bundles of muscle fibres in a muscle and around the muscles themselves.
   5. myolemma 1873
      = sarcolemma, n.
   6. Z line 1916–
      A transverse dark line in a fibril of striated muscle formed by Krause's membrane (see Krause, n. b); the membrane itself.
   7. Z band 1950–
   8. sarcoplasmic reticulum 1953–
      Of, pertaining to, or containing sarcoplasm; sarcoplasmic reticulum, the characteristic endoplasmic reticulum of striated muscle.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Frequency

Z band typically occurs about 0.03 times per million words in modern written English.

Z band 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 Z band, n., 1950–2010

* 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
--- | ---
1950 | 0.036
1960 | 0.032
1970 | 0.029
1980 | 0.026
1990 | 0.027
2000 | 0.026
2010 | 0.02

Originally published as part of the entry for Z line, n.

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