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
- Zarp, n.1895–
- zarzuela, n.1888–
- zat, n.1934–
- zatch, n.1950–
- zawiya, n.1836–
- zawn, n.1865–
- zayat, n.1823–
- zayde, n.1946–
- zazen, n.1727–
- zazzy, adj.1961–
- Z band, n.1950–
- ZBB, n.1976–
- Z-bed, n.1973–
- Z-car, n.1961–
- Z-day, n.1925–
- Z-DNA, n.1979–
- ze, pron.1864–
- zea, n.1562–
- zeagonite, n.1823–
- zeal, n.a1382–
- zeal, v.1542–1687
Meaning & use
Histology.
- 1950–See Z line n.
- 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 - 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 - 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
- wella1400–25Surgery. A hollow between muscles or tendons, esp. one used as a site for cautery; = fontanelle, n. 1a. Obsolete.
- fontanelle?a1425–1541Anatomy. A natural hollow on the surface of the body, typically one located between two muscles or tendons. Cf. well, n.¹ II.7. Obsolete.
- 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…
- belly1591–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.
- venter1615–1728Anatomy. (See quot. 1728.) Obsolete.
- tail1719–A thing, part, or appendage, resembling the tail of an animal in shape or position. The attenuated part of a muscle at its insertion.
- myotome1857–Embryology and Zoology. A part of the embryonic mesoderm which gives rise to the skeletal muscles; each of the metameric segments of this. Also…
- sclerotome1857–A sclerous element intervening between successive myotomes.
- myomere1868–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…
- muscle spindle1894–A fusiform bundle of specialized muscle fibres with sensory and motor innervation enclosed in a capsule of connective tissue, present in large…
- spindle1894–Anatomy. = muscle spindle, n.
- Z line1916–A transverse dark line in a fibril of striated muscle formed by Krause's membrane (see Krause, n. b); the membrane itself.
- Z band1950–
- dyad1957–Anatomy. A structure found in vertebrate cardiac muscle and some insect muscle, consisting of a transverse tubule in contact with a terminal cisterna…
- triad1957–Anatomy. A structure found in the striated skeletal muscle of most vertebrates, which consists of a transverse tubule of the T-system in contact…
- aponeurosis1676–A white, shining, fibrous membrane, sometimes serving as the sheath of a muscle, sometimes forming the connection between a muscle and a tendon.
- myolema1840= sarcolemma, n.
- sarcolemma1840–The fine transparent tubular sheath investing muscular fibre.
- perimysium1842–The connective tissue or fascia that forms sheaths around bundles of muscle fibres in a muscle and around the muscles themselves.
- myolemma1873= sarcolemma, n.
- Z line1916–A transverse dark line in a fibril of striated muscle formed by Krause's membrane (see Krause, n. b); the membrane itself.
- Z band1950–
- Of, pertaining to, or containing sarcoplasm; sarcoplasmic reticulum, the characteristic endoplasmic reticulum of striated muscle.
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 |