1607
zodiac
Aquarius
21 Jan-19 Feb
Pisces
20 Feb-20 Mar
Aries
21 Mar-20 Apr
Taurus
21 Apr-22 May
Gemini
23 May-21 Jun
Cancer
22 Jun-22 Jul
Leo
23 Jul-22 Aug
Virgo
23 Aug-22 Sept
Libra
23 Sept-22 Oct
Scorpio
23 Oct-21 Nov
Sagittarius
22 Nov-22 Dec
Capricorn
23 Dec-20 Jan
'Zodiac Killer, the a man who killed more than 30 people between the late 1960s and early 1970s in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was never caught, and his real name is not known, but when he wrote letters to newspapers about his crimes he called himself the Zodiac.
Zo-la, Em-ile /'zəʊlə, 'emi:lle'mi:/ (1840-1902) a French writer who developed the style of literature called NATURAL-ISM (=showing people and the world exactly as they really are) in novels such as Nana and Germinal, which describe life and society in a very detailed way, and are often about crime, murder, and people who are poor. He is also known for supporting Alfred DREYFUS, and criticizing the people who had sent Dreyfus to prison, by writing the public letter J'accuse.
Zola, Gian·fran·co /'dʒænfræŋkəʊ/ (1966-) an Italian football player, known especially in the UK for playing for Chelsea football team from 1996 to 2003, and for the Italian national team from 1991 to 1997
zom·bie, -bi /'zɒmbi||'zɑ:m-/ n 1 derog someone who moves very slowly, behaves in a lifeless way etc 2 (according to certain African and Caribbean religions) a dead person who is made to move by magic
zon·al /'zəʊnəl/ adj of or arranged in zones —ly adv
zone¹ /zəʊn/ n 1 a division or area marked off from others by particular qualities or activities: a war/danger/time zone | an economic zone 2 tech any of the five divisions of the Earth's surface according to temperature, marked by imaginary lines running round it from east to west: the torrid zone, the two temperate zones, and the two frigid zones
zone² v [T] 1 to divide into ZONES 2 [(as, for)] to give a special purpose to (an area in a town etc): This part of the town has been zoned as a shopping area/for industrial development.
zon·ing /'zəʊnɪŋ/ n [U] the choosing of areas to be developed for different purposes when planning a town
zonked /zɒkt|zɑ:ŋkt/ adj [(F OUT)] slang 1 under the influence of alcohol or a drug 2 extremely tired; exhausted (EXHAUST)
zoo /zu:/ also ,zoological 'gardens [P] fml — n pl. zoos a park where many kinds of wild animals are kept for show: We took the children to the zoo to see the monkeys.
zo·ol·o·gist /zu:'ɒlədʒɪst, zəʊ'ɒ-l-'ɑ:l-/ n a person who studies zoology
zo·ol·o·gy /zu:'ɒlədʒi, zəʊ'ɒ-l-'ɑ:l-/ n [U] the scientific study of the different kinds of animals, and of where and how they live —gical /ˌzu:ə'lɒdʒɪkəl|ˌzoʊ-||-'lɑ:-/ adj
zoom¹ /zu:m/ v [I] 1 [+adv/prep] infml to go quickly with a loud noise: Jack went zooming past in his new car. 2 infml to increase suddenly and quickly: The cost of living has zoomed. 3 [+adv/prep, especially IN (ON), OUT] (of a cinema camera) to move quickly between a distant and a close view: The camera zoomed in on the child's face.
zoom² n [S] (the deep low sound of) the fast movement of a vehicle
'zoom ,lens n a photographic LENS (=curved glass) that can move in from a distant to a close view while keeping what is being photographed in FOCUS (=clear) → see picture at CAMERA
zoot suit /'zu:t su:t/ n a suit consisting of a JACKET with wide shoulders, and wide trousers with narrow TURN-UPS worn in the 1940s and 1950s by people who liked JAZZ music
Zor·o·as·ter /ˌzɒrə'æstə||'zɔ:rəʊæstər/ also Zarathus·tra (7628-7551 BC) a Persian religious teacher and PROPHET (=someone whom people believe has been sent by God to lead and teach them) who started a new religion called ZOROASTRIANISM
Zor·o·as·tri·a·nism /ˌzɒrəʊ'æstriənɪzəm||ˌzɔ:rəʊ-/ n [U] an ancient religion from Persia (=modern Iran), whose followers believe that there is a continual battle between the forces of good (or light) and the forces of evil (or darkness), but that good will win in the end and humans must help this to happen. The religion is now practised by only a small number of people, most of whom are Parsees living in India. —Zoroastrian adj
Zor·ro /'zɒrəʊ||'zɔ:r-/ a character in a series of old US films and television programmes who wore a black MASK, and protected people from crime. He rode a horse and is known especially for writing the letter 'Z' on things and for writing it in the air with his sword.
zuc·chi·ni /zu:'ki:ni/ n pl. -ni or -nis AmE for COURGETTE
Zu·lu /'zu:lu:/ n 1 [C] a member of the tribe of Bantu people from the KwaZulu area of South Africa. Zulu WARRIORS are famous for their fighting skills. 2 [U] the Bantu language spoken by these people —Zulu adj: a Zulu spear
Zul·u·land /'zu:lu:lænd/ an area in the northeastern part of South Africa which is the original home of the Zulu people. The area is now part of the South African PROVINCE of KwaZulu Natal.
Zu·ni, Zuñi /'zu:ni/ n 1 the Zuni [P] a Native American tribe who live in New Mexico, known for their fine silver jewellery and their dances and dress during religious ceremonies 2 [C] a member of this tribe → see CULTURAL NOTE at NATIVE AMERICAN —Zuñi adj
Zü·rich /'zjʊərɪk||'zwɛr-/ a city in SWITZERLAND which is an important international centre for banking
Zwie·back, zweiback /'zvi:bæk||'zwai-/ AmE trademark a kind of hard dry bread which has been baked twice, often given to babies when they are getting their first teeth: Willa Jean blew bubbles filled with wet Zwieback crumbs and laughed delightedly.
ZZZ (used in pictures for showing that someone is asleep or snoring (SNORE))
Z