zestyadjective
Factsheet
What does the adjective zesty mean?
There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the adjective zesty. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
How common is the adjective zesty?
| 1820 | 0.0001 |
| 1830 | 0.0001 |
| 1840 | 0.0001 |
| 1850 | 0.0001 |
| 1860 | 0.00007 |
| 1870 | 0.0001 |
| 1880 | 0.0002 |
| 1890 | 0.0004 |
| 1900 | 0.0006 |
| 1910 | 0.0016 |
| 1920 | 0.0028 |
| 1930 | 0.0048 |
| 1940 | 0.0094 |
| 1950 | 0.018 |
| 1960 | 0.031 |
| 1970 | 0.041 |
| 1980 | 0.051 |
| 1990 | 0.058 |
| 2000 | 0.067 |
| 2010 | 0.076 |
How is the adjective zesty pronounced?
British English
U.S. English
Where does the adjective zesty come from?
Earliest known use
1820s
The earliest known use of the adjective zesty is in the 1820s.
OED's earliest evidence for zesty is from 1826, in the writing of R. P. Gillies.
zesty is formed within English, by derivation.
Etymons: zest n.1, ‑y suffix1.
Nearby entries
- zero-zero, adj. & n.1930–
- zerumbet, n.1640–
- zest, n.¹1674–
- zest, n.²1706
- zest, v.1702–
- zest, int.1705–22
- zester, n.1963–
- zestful, adj.1797–
- zestfully, adv.1843–
- zestiness, n.1912–
- zesty, adj.1826–
- zeta, n.¹?a1425–
- zeta, n.²1706–1860
- zetacism, n.1860–
- zeta function, n.1879–
- zeta-ic, adj.1840–1927
- zeta potential, n.1927–
- zetetic, adj. & n.1645–
- zetetical, adj. & n.1646–
- zetetically, adv.1665–
- Zetetical Society, n.1881–
Etymology
Summary
Meaning & use
- 1.1826–Of a taste, smell, or food: piquant, tangy, agreeably sharp; flavoursome.
- 1826
The hung beef saluted my nostrils with such a zesty odour.
R. P. Gillies, Tales Voyager to Arctic Ocean vol. I. 69 - 1887
The lump of zesty bait is lowered into the water, and the flavor of this liberal morsel will scent the current down a full square.
Times (Philadelphia) 18 July - 1936
Mix it with orange, lemon, grapefruit, pineapple juices or with ginger ale for a zesty pick-up.
New York Herald-Tribune 25 August 8 - 1953
The meal was plain and good, with the zesty taste of country cooking.
‘A. Bridge’, Place to Stand v. 67 - 2007
It's a lively, zesty wine.
Wine & Spirit May 80/2
- goodOld English–Pleasing, appealing, or satisfying to the senses. Pleasant to eat or smell; tasty, appetizing; fragrant. Also in figurative contexts.
- likingOld English–1695That is pleasing or likeable; pleasant, agreeable, attractive. Also (of food): tasty, delicious. Frequently with to.
- lickerousc1275–1603Pleasing or tempting to the palate. Also gen. and figurative: Sweet, pleasant, delightful.
- deliciousa1325–Extremely pleasing to the senses, esp. to the taste or smell; providing great sensual pleasure; delectable; (now usually) very appetizing, highly…
- daintya1382–With reference to food or drink: appetizing, delicate, delicious; pleasing to the palate.
- dainteousc1386–1548= dainty, adj.
- daintiful1393–1440= dainty, adj.
- delicatea1398–Of food or drink: very pleasing to the taste; delicious; choice. Now rare.
- merrya1398–1582Of an odour: pleasant, fragrant. Of a fruit, plant, etc.: sweet-smelling, aromatic. Obsolete.
- savourlyc1400–Having a pleasant taste or fragrance; full of savour (in various senses of the noun), savoury.
- liciousc1420–1670= delicious, adj. & n.
- savourousa1425–Having a (usually pleasant) flavour or odour; appetizing, fragrant.
- daintethc1430–40Obsolete.
- lustyc1430–50Pleasing, pleasant. Obsolete. Pleasant to the taste. Obsolete.
- feelsomea1450–Pleasing to the senses.
- nuttya1450–Resembling a nut or nuts in flavour, colour, etc.
- seasonablea1475Capable of serving as seasoning; tasty, savoury. Obsolete. rare.
- delicativec1475–1510Delightful, luxurious; delicious; (of a person) given to or immoderatly fond of pleasure or luxury. Also as n.: a delicious or choice food, a…
- unctuous1495–Of meat: Greasy, fat, rich. Now archaic.
- well-tasteda1500–Having a pleasant flavour; tasty. Also figurative. Now archaic and rare.
- daintive1526= dainty, n., dainty, adj.
- savoury1533–Of food or drink: having a salty, piquant, or ‘umami’ taste or flavour; not sweet. Also: of or relating to such food or drink. Cf. umami, n.
- exquisite1561–Sought out, ‘recherché’. Of meat, drink, etc.: Carefully chosen; choice, dainty, delicious (passing into sense A.5).
- spicy1562–Having the characteristic qualities of spice; of the nature of spice.
- well-relished?1575–1826Having a pleasant taste; very appetizing. Also figurative.
- toothsome1584–Pleasant to the taste, savoury, palatable: cf. tooth, n. I.2a.
- taste-pleasinga1586–
- daint1590–1673= dainty, adj.
- relishsome1593–Relishable; tasty, appetizing.
- lickerish1595–1728Pleasant to the palate; gen. sweet, tempting, attractive; = lickerous, adj. 1. Of a cook: Skilful in preparing dainties. Obsolete.
- tastesome1598Pleasant to the taste; ‘tasty’, toothsome.
- friand1599–1818Dainty; delicious to the palate; fond of delicate food.
- tooth-tempting1603–
- relishing1605–Appetizing, relishable; enjoyable.
- well-relishing1608–1836Having a pleasant taste; = well-relished, adj. Also figurative.
- neat1609–1857Of preparations, esp. in cookery: skilfully or tastefully prepared; choice; elegant. Obsolete.
- hungry1611–Causing or inducing hunger; appetizing. rare.
- palate-pleasing1611–
- tasteful1611–Having an agreeable taste; palatable, toothsome, tasty. Now rare.
- palatea1617Pleasant to the palate or taste; palatable. Obsolete. rare.
- tastya1617–Pleasing to the taste; appetizing, savoury.
- palatable1619–Of food, drink, medicine, etc.: agreeable or acceptable to the palate; pleasant to the taste.
- toothful1622Pleasant to the taste: = toothsome, adj. Obsolete.
- sipid1623–Savoury; = sapid, adj. 1.
- unsoured1626–(un-, prefix¹ affix 2.)
- famelic1631–51Pertaining to hunger; in quots.: Exciting hunger, appetizing.
- tasteablea1641–1791Pleasant to the taste; savoury, ‘tasty’. Obsolete.
- piquant1645–Of food, etc.: having a (usually pleasantly) pungent or sharp taste; sharp; tangy; appetizing.
- sapid1646–Of food, etc.: Readily perceptible by the organs of taste, having a decided taste or flavour; esp. having a pleasant taste, savoury, palatable.
- saporousa1670–Of or pertaining to taste; having flavour or taste; yielding some kind of taste. †Also, agreeable to the taste, savoury.
- slape1671–Of ale: (see quots.).
- palativea1682–Appealing to the palate or taste. Also: of or relating to the palate.
- flavorous1697–Full of flavour; pleasing to the taste and smell, savoury; ‘fragrant, odorous’ (Johnson).
- nice1709–Of food or drink: dainty, choice; (later in weakened sense) tasty, appetizing; refreshing, restorative.
- well-flavoured1717–Having a good natural flavour; flavourful.
- gusty1721–Tasty, savoury, appetizing.
- flavoury1727–= flavoursome, adj.
- fine-palated1735–†a. Having a pleasant taste, palatable (obsolete rare); b. having a sophisticated palate (palate, n. A.2a); appreciative of fine food and drink.
- unrepulsive1787–Not repulsive.
- degustatory1824–Pertaining to degustation; tasty.
- zesty1826–Of a taste, smell, or food: piquant, tangy, agreeably sharp; flavoursome.
- peckish1845Appetizing. Obsolete. rare.
- mouth-watering1847–That causes a flow of saliva into the mouth, appetizing; (figurative) desirable, highly attractive.
- flavoursome1853–Full of flavour.
- unreasty1853Not rancid.
- unrancida1855–Not rancid. Also figurative.
- relishy1864–Appetizing, relishable.
- toothy1864–Toothsome, palatable. rare.
- flavoured1867–Having flavour; chiefly, having a specified flavour, indicated by some defining word as ill-flavoured, orange-flavoured, vanilla-flavoured, etc.
- tasty-looking1867–
- hungrifying1886–Appetizing.
- velvety1888–Smooth and soft to the taste.
- snappy1892–colloquial. Having a brisk smack or flavour.
- zippy1911–Designating a zesty, tangy, or piquant flavour; (of food or drink) having such flavour.
- savoursome1922–Having a pleasant or savoury taste or smell; (also) able to be savoured.
- delish1953–Extremely pleasing to the senses; (chiefly) very tasty or appetizing. Sometimes of a person: very attractive. Cf. delicious, adj. A.1.
- 2.1853–figurative. Characterized by energy or vigour; lively, spirited; invigorating, stimulating. Cf. zest n.1 3.
- 1853
Fresh and fragrant are the leaves which Fanny Fern has inserted in her portfolio. A more zesty, readable book does not often present itself.
Christian Parlor Magazine vol. 10 251/1 - 1876
Ready, fluent, and never hesitating for a word, the flood poured at command, as zesty and sparkling as a river of champagne.
Southern Law Review October 526 - 1911
Nothing ever disappointed our zesty imagination more than these celebrated plains.
Travel July 447/1 - 1952
Zesty as a two-year-old rounding into the stretch, Britain's aged Prime Minister Winston Churchill last week entered his 79th year enthusiastically agallop on all his old hobbies.
Time 15 December 33/1 - 1972
Housing starts remain zesty, at an annual rate of 2,500,000 units in recent months.
Time 17 April 43/2 - 2007
They were eager to prove that the years had not dampened their spirits as they charged through a zesty rendition of their old hit Stop!
Daily Telegraph (Nexis) 17 November 9
- livelyOld English–Vigorous, energetic, active, brisk. Of a person, a person's physical or mental faculties, or an activity sustained by a person. Also of an animal.
- sprindOld English–1350Vigorous, strong.
- kaskc1300Active, vigorous.
- wightc1300–Strong, vigorous, robust, stalwart, mighty; exercising strength, energetic (passing into A.3).
- courageousc1386–1577Full of virile force; lively, lusty, vigorous.
- wieldya1413–1916Capable of moving with ease; physically able (to do something); vigorous, active; agile, nimble. Obsolete.
- ablec1440–Now Scottish, Irish English (northern), and Newfoundland. Of a person, the body, etc.: having general physical strength; vigorous, powerful…
- wightyc1475–= wight, adj.
- tall of hand1530–1632Phrase tall of (his, her) hand(s): sometimes, (cf. sense A.I.1) Ready, active, deft, skilful with (his, her) hands; dexterous, handy; sometimes, (cf…
- sappy1558–figurative in various applications. Full of vitality.
- energical1565–1883Relating to, characterized by, or full of energy (in various senses); esp. operative; efficacious. Cf. energic, adj.
- energetical1585–Characterized by or full of energy, force, or vitality; energetic; emphatic; vigorous; lively. Now rare.
- greenya1586–Green; verdant. Also figurative: vigorous. Now rare.
- stout1600–1711Strenuous, energetic. Obsolete.
- strenuous1602–Of persons or their dispositions: Vigorous in action, energetic; ‘brave, bold, active, valiant’ (Johnson). Now usually with stronger notion…
- forceful?1624–Full of force, powerful, strong, vigorous.
- actuous1626–1869= actuose, adj.
- vigorous1638–Of persons, etc.: Acting, or prepared to act, with vigour.
- vivid1638–Full of life; vigorous, active, or energetic on this account; lively or brisk. Of persons (or animals), their attributes, etc.
- high-spirited1653–Exhibiting or characterized by courage and spirit, or (later) liveliness and cheerful good humour.
- hearty1665–Of a physical action: vigorous; performed with great energy.
- actuose1677–Full of activity, abounding in action; active.
- living1699–Full of life or vigour; fresh, vivid; lively, vibrant. Cf. lively, adj. A.3, A.5, A.6.
- full-blooded1707–Originally: having or containing much blood. Later also: (of a person) having the qualities associated with a constitution rich in blood (cf. plet…
- executive1708–1825Active in execution, energetic. Obsolete. rare.
- rugged1731–Chiefly U.S. Of a person: strong, sturdy; robust, vigorous.
- sousing1735–Strong, vigorous, ‘powerful’. Now dialect.
- energic1740–Of movement, activity, etc.: characterized by or carried out with vigour or force; emphatic. Also of a person, group, etc.: full of energy…
- bouncing1743That bounces: in various senses of the verb relating alike to loudness, brag, and vigorous or ungainly movement. Often also (like ‘thumping…
- two-fisted1774–a. (dialect or colloquial), awkward with the hands, clumsy; b. U.S. colloquial, tough, aggressive; vigorous; c. Tennis of a backhand stroke: played…
- energetic1782–Of a person, group, etc.: full of energy or vitality; strenuously active; vigorous; (also) dynamic; spirited; lively.
- zestful1797–figurative. Full of zest; invigorating, stimulating, enjoyable; lively, spirited; = zesty, adj. 2. Cf. zest, n.¹ 3, 4.
- rollicking1801–Of an action, behaviour, song, etc.: characterized by vivaciousness or boisterousness.
- through-ganging1814–1923Active, energetic, spirited. Cf. throughgoing, adj. 2a.
- throughgoing1814–Chiefly Scottish, Irish English (northern), and U.S. regional. Of a person: that gets through work quickly or thoroughly; active, energetic…
- slashing1828–Spirited; dashing; full of vigour. Now used esp. of horses.
- high-powered1829–Of a machine or device: having greater than normal strength or capabilities; very powerful. Also in extended use: of high quality.
- high pressure1834–Involving or characterized by a high degree of exertion, urgency, or coercion; spec. (with regard to selling) employing or involving highly…
- rip-roaring1834–Full of energy and vigour; boisterous, wildly noisy; first-rate, exciting.
- red-blooded1836–Vigorous, virile, full of energy and strength; (now) esp. (of a man) having strong heterosexual appetites.
- ripsnorting1846–= rip-roaring, adj.
- zesty1853–figurative. Characterized by energy or vigour; lively, spirited; invigorating, stimulating. Cf. zest, n.¹ 3.
- dynamic1856–transferred and figurative. Active, potent, energetic, effective, forceful.
- throbbing1864–figurative. That pulsates with energy, life, etc.; thrilling, exciting; vibrant, lively.
- kinky1872–U.S. regional (New England). Esp. of a person or animal: energetic, lively, spirited; (in negative sense) difficult to manage, frisky. Now rare.
- goey1875–Full of ‘go’; energetic, lively, vigorous; dynamic, enterprising.
- torpedoic1893–Of a torpedo, like that of a torpedo.
- zippy1903–Full of ‘zip’ (zip, n.¹ B.1b); bright, lively, energetic; fresh, invigorating.
- go-at-it1904–Full of energy, vitality, or determination.
- punchy1907–Full of punch or impact; forceful, effective; vigorous.
- up-and-at-'em1909–
- driving1916–With reference to music: energetic, dynamic, forceful.
- vibranta1929–Without const. Full of vitality, teeming, vigorous; exuberant, flourishing.
- kinetic1931–transferred and figurative, esp. active, dynamic, full of energy.
- zinging1931–That abounds with energy or excitement; vibrant, lively.
- high-octane1936–figurative. Vigorous, energetic; powerful; very intense. Cf. octane, n. 3.
- zingy1938–Energetic, exciting, vibrant; (of a remark, joke, etc.) witty, lively, and effective.
- slam-bang1939–In weakened use: exciting, impressive, first-rate. Also, vigorous, energetic. colloquial.
- balls-to-the-wall1967–Unrestrained, aggressive, forceful; all-out, ‘full-throttle’. Cf. balls-out, adv. & adj.
- balls-out1968–Unrestrained, uninhibited; aggressive, extremely forceful, all-out.
- ass-kicking1977–Forceful, aggressive.
- hi-octane1977–= high-octane, adj. A.2.
- stirring1421–That excites or incites. Inciting to action, or inducing emotion; rousing, stimulating, animating, inspiriting; exciting, moving, thrilling.
- excitative1490–Able or tending to excite: in senses of the verb. Const. of.
- rousing1576–That excites or inspires someone or something; stirring; stimulating; inciting to action.
- animating1595–That animates or gives life; inspiring, encouraging. Also: rendering lifelike.
- excitant1608–That rouses, excites, or stimulates; exciting, stimulating. Cf. excite, v. 1, 4, 6.
- exciteful?1615–18Tending to excite to action.
- spirit-stirringa1616–That stirs or animates the spirits; spirit-rousing.
- spiritous1624–88Open to the free circulation of air; airy. Obsolete.
- excitatinga1643
- exagitating1646Producing agitation, disturbing.
- fermentive1656–Tending to produce fermentation.
- awakening1694–Fitted to arouse; rousing.
- electrifying1746–That electrifies something or someone; (chiefly figurative) startling, exciting, thrilling.
- electrical1760–figurative. Originally: †causing attraction, as if by static electricity (obsolete). Later: exciting, thrilling, tense; = electric, adj. A.4.
- upstirring1767–Stimulating, rousing.
- thrilling1768–Producing a sudden wave of excitement or emotion; piercing the feelings.
- excitive1774–Tending to excite. Const. of.
- proceleusmatic1775–1866That causes or engenders excitement or enthusiasm; encouraging, animating. Obsolete.
- electric1789–figurative. Suddenly exciting, thrilling, or intense, as if caused by an electric charge or shock; stimulating; charged with tension.
- inspiriting1796–That inspirits; animating, encouraging, cheering.
- fermentitious1807–Of a fermenting or effervescent nature.
- exciting1811–That excites. exciting cause n. (chiefly Pathology) that which immediately causes disease, etc.; opposed to predisposing cause.
- red-hot1835–slang (originally U.S.). Of a person or thing: up-to-the-minute, brand new; exciting, sensational, dramatic. Cf. hot, adj. A.II.10b.
- hair-raising1838–Extremely astonishing, exciting; alarming or frightening. Cf. to stand on end at stand, v. III.18b, horripilation, n.
- suscitating1840–
- arousing1841–Rousing, stirring, exciting.
- sizzling1845–
- zesty1853–figurative. Characterized by energy or vigour; lively, spirited; invigorating, stimulating. Cf. zest, n.¹ 3.
- dramatic1861–Exciting, tense; involving a lot of action or emotional turmoil.
- excitory1861–Fitted to excite; instrumental in exciting.
- throbbing1864–figurative. That pulsates with energy, life, etc.; thrilling, exciting; vibrant, lively.
- buzzing1882–colloquial (originally U.S.). Lively, exciting; busy, popular.
- ding-dong1887–colloquial (originally English regional, later chiefly Australian). Excellent, great; extraordinary; exciting.
- thrillful1887–Full of thrills, thrilling.
- stir-up1890–Having the quality of stirring up; rousing.
- large1895–slang (originally and chiefly U.S.). Of a period of time: enjoyable, exciting; excellent.
- thrilly1896–Having a thrilling quality.
- high voltage1909–Powerful or intense, as if caused or operated by a high-voltage electric current; very exciting; highly charged.
- voltaic1920–figurative.
- sizzly1936–Sizzling, effervescent, exciting.
- Boy's Own1967–Resembling or evocative of a children's adventure story; characterized by daring and heroism; exciting.
- hot shit1967–coarse slang (originally U.S.). As a general term of appreciation: outstanding; skilful; exciting. Frequently ironic. Cf. hot stuff, adj., shit-hot, adj.
- crunk1995–U.S. slang. Chiefly in the context of hip-hop: exciting or fun; (of a person) extremely energized or excited. Frequently in to get (it) crunk and…
- piquant1645–Stimulating or agreeable to the mind or senses; fascinating; charming.
- poignanta1657–Stimulating to the mind, feelings, or passions; pleasantly or delightfully piquant. Now rare except as merged in later use of 2a.
- French1682–With the implication of sexual adventurousness or explicitness. See also French letter, n., French tickler, n.
- flavorous1697–Full of flavour; pleasing to the taste and smell, savoury; ‘fragrant, odorous’ (Johnson).
- zested1769–
- zestful1797–figurative. Full of zest; invigorating, stimulating, enjoyable; lively, spirited; = zesty, adj. 2. Cf. zest, n.¹ 3, 4.
- pungent1850–Mentally stimulating or exciting; fascinating. Now rare.
- spicy1853–Exciting, exhilarating.
- zesty1853–figurative. Characterized by energy or vigour; lively, spirited; invigorating, stimulating. Cf. zest, n.¹ 3.
- juicy1883–figurative. Suggestive, esp. in a sexual way; piquant, racy, sensational. colloquial.
- nutty1894figurative. Pleasant, rich, full of zest; spicy or piquant in interest. Obsolete.
- sauced1894–With up. Of food: embellished or made more flavoursome by the addition of a sauce; (figurative) that has been embellished or made fancy or showy in…
- colourful1905–Full of or characterized by colour; esp. brightly coloured.
- zappy1969–Lively, amusing, energetic; striking.
Pronunciation
British English
U.S. English
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
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
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
Frequency
zesty typically occurs about 0.06 times per million words in modern written English.
zesty 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 of zesty, adj., 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 | 0.0001 |
| 1830 | 0.0001 |
| 1840 | 0.0001 |
| 1850 | 0.0001 |
| 1860 | 0.00007 |
| 1870 | 0.0001 |
| 1880 | 0.0002 |
| 1890 | 0.0004 |
| 1900 | 0.0006 |
| 1910 | 0.0016 |
| 1920 | 0.0028 |
| 1930 | 0.0048 |
| 1940 | 0.0094 |
| 1950 | 0.018 |
| 1960 | 0.031 |
| 1970 | 0.041 |
| 1980 | 0.051 |
| 1990 | 0.058 |
| 2000 | 0.067 |
| 2010 | 0.076 |
Frequency of zesty, adj., 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 | 0.28 |
| 2018 | 0.27 |
| 2019 | 0.27 |
| 2020 | 0.28 |
| 2021 | 0.32 |
| 2022 | 0.37 |
| 2023 | 0.41 |
| 2024 | 0.45 |
Compounds & derived words
- zestiness, n. 1912–The quality or state of being zesty (in various…