The twenty-sixth and last letter of the English and other modern alphabets, derives its form, through the medium of the Latin and Greek alphabets, from the Phœnician and ancient Hebrew [Hebrew] (Hebrew ז zayin); in the Phœnician, Greek, and earlier Roman alphabets it was the seventh letter, in the later Roman alphabet the twenty-third. Greek Ζζ seems to have had originally the phonetic value (zd) or (dz), but later simple (z). Instances of z are found in early Latin, but Greek ζ was more commonly represented initially by s, e.g., sōna (Plautus) = ζώνη, and medially by ss, e.g., cōmissor = κωμάζω, massa = μᾶζα MASS sb.2, but after B.C. 100 z came into regular use to render the ζ of Greek loan-words. In consequence of the phonetic change of (dz) to (dy) exemplified by the spelling baptidiare for baptizare, Gr. βαπτίζειν to baptize, z in popular Latin came to denote (dy) and probably (y), as in zaconus for diaconus deacon, zeta for dieta (see ZETA1), zunior for junior (cf. the spellings Zopen, Zope in Cursor Mundi for Joppa). For the use of z for initial x see X.
Z was used in OE. in the spelling of alien words, and (with or without t or d) in certain loan-words, as bæ(d)zere (L. baptista + -ere -ER1) baptist, mertze (L. mercem, merx), with the value (ts); this use was continued in ME., e.g., mildze, milz(c)e, MILCE sb., and was reinforced by French usage, as shown in forms like caliz chalice, croiz cross, voiz voice, vestimenz, pl. of vestiment. This phonetic value is preserved in, and indicated by the spelling of, mod. E. assets (AF. asetz, OF. asez enough, pop. L. vad-satis) and the patronymic prefix Fitz- (AF. fiz = fius, fils, L. fīlius).
In French, the reduction of (ts) to (s) brought about a change of spelling from z to s (often alternating with x, e.g., vois, voix), and this helped to set free z to denote the voiced s appropriate to such ‘learned’ adoptions as zone (which appears as early as the 12th c., Ph. de Thaun). In English, by the end of the 13th c., z is found with the later OF. value (z) in ‘learned’ words, e.g., zizanny tares (Cursor Mundi, 1138); it is conspicuous in the Ayenbite of Inwyt (c. 1340) as the symbol for the voiced s characteristic of southern dialects (e.g., Kentish zenne, OE. synn sin); by the end of the 14th c. the character had become general, e.g., gaze, mazed, canonize.
In MSS. of 1300 onwards the tailed z and ȝ came to be indistinguishable in form (cf. first quot. s.v. ZED); hence in modern editions are found many instances of spellings such as ȝelot zealot, Sarȝine Saracen. This identity of the two symbols was perpetuated in the typography of early Scottish printers, who represented the sounds (y) and (z) by the same characters, as in such words as ze ye, zeir year, forzet forget, fenzeit feigned, and azure, zele zeal. This confusion has led to the general mispronunciation by Englishmen of capercailzie, and proper names such as Cadzow, Dalziel, Mackenzie, Menzies.
a. 1814. J. Ramsay, Scot. & Scotsm. 18th Cent. (1888), I. 212, note. He [sc. Lord Kames] used to say that pronouncing the letter z in the names Mackenzie and Menzies in the English was enough to turn his stomach.
The name given to the letter in England (presumably since the Norman Conquest) has been ZED, q.v., or one of its variants, † ZAD, † ZARD, IZZARD, EZOD, UZZARD. With the disyllabic forms, which survive dialectally, cf. F. edez, ? for ezed (Coyfurelly, 14th cent.), ézed (Claude de Saint-Lien, 1580), Prov. izedo, Cat. idzeta, app. from pop. L. *idzēta, a. Gr. ζῆτα. The names ez (Gil, Logonomia Anglica, 1619) and ze (C. Butler, Eng. Gram., 1633) do not seem to represent actual usage, but are (like ya and yi as names of y) systematic inventions of these phonetic writers. The name ZEE, now widespread in the United States of America, appears to have had some early currency in England.
Initially and medially z occurs largely in words of Greek or Oriental origin, e.g., zeal, azimuth, Amazon, zenith; and in this Dictionary the spelling of the suffix derived ultimately from Greek -ίζειν has been normalized throughout as -IZE, q.v. In other classes of words the use of z has been determined by various circumstances, e.g., the immediate source of the word, as in bronze, or the desirability of an unambiguous or distinctive spelling, as in ooze (cf. loose), prize (cf. price). It is found in a number of monosyllabic words (and their derivatives), as craze, daze, laze, maze, doze, gloze, gauze, furze, blowze, size, assize, seize, freeze, wheeze.
One fact which has told against an extensive use of it instead of s to represent the sound (z) is the difficulty of writing the character rapidly and intelligibly; this is referred to by Mulcaster, 1st Part of Elementarie, 1582, p. 123:—
Z, is a consonant much heard amongst vs, and seldom sene. I think by reason it is not so redie to the pen as s, is, which is become lieutenant generall to z, as gáse, amàse, ràsur, where z, is heard, but, s, sene.
It is remarkable that in the three words cited by him the ultimate decision has been in favor of the spelling with z. In certain words usage fluctuated even in modern times until s or z prevailed, as in tease and † teaze, pose and † poze, surprise and † surprize; rase and raze are specifically differentiated.
Z is normally employed to denote (z), the blade-open-voice consonant, the voiced analogue of (s). In the combination -zure in azure it denotes (ʒ), a sound commonly denoted by other means, as in pleasure, decision, lesion, transition.
I. 1. The letter, or its sound.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Gram., ii. (Z.), 6. Z, eac, se grecisca stæf, ʓeendað on a. Se stæf is ʓenumen of Grecum to ledenspræce for greciscum wordum.
1528. in Ellis, E. E. Pron., III. 816. S betwene two vowelles, pronounceth [sic] by .z.
1530. Palsgr., 38. The x by this rule shalbe sounded lyke an z [i.e., ezod].
c. 1532. Du Wes, Introd. Fr., in Palsgr., 901. If ye do adde a z, at the latter ende of them, than are they plurell nombres.
1611. Cotgr., Fr. Dict., Brief Direct. N nnn j b. The tongue in the former [guerre] giuing onely a touch to the palate, and sounding the later [poison] as if it were a Z.
1668. Wilkins, Real Char., III. xii. 369. (Z) is by some stiled (S) molle.… (Zh) the sonorous Consonant, and (Sh) its correspondent mute.
1669. Holder, Elem. Speech, 43. The vowel I, partaking also of the nature of a Consonant, added to Z, comes very near to the sound of Zh, as Zya.
1792. W. Roberts, Looker-on, No. 32, ¶ 8. The Z’s, an ancient sign at grocers shops, look very enigmatical; but I am told they allude to the word zinziber, or ginger, and intimated the sale of that article.
1838. Dickens, O. Twist, ii. I have got names ready made to the end of the alphabet, and all the way through it again, when we come to Z.
2. The letter considered with respect to its shape; a figure or object of this shape. Also attrib., as Z-bar, a metal bar having a cross-section of a form resembling a Z; so Z-iron; Z-crank, a crank of zigzag form, used in marine engines.
1680. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., xiii. 223. Bent backwards and forwards … somewhat like an z [i.e., ezod or izzard].
1688. Holme, Armoury, III. 408/2. A Roman Z.
1711. Steele, Spect., No. 17, ¶ 2. The Irregularity of his Shape, which he describes as very much resembling the Letter Z.
1820. Catherine M. Fanshawe, Death of the Minuet, 24, in Edin. Mag., VI. May, 453.
| No more the well taught feet shall tread | |
| The figure of the mazy Z. |
1852. Househ. Words, IV. 423/1. The road winds up the side of the cone like a strung series of Zs.
1858. Simmonds, Dict. Trade, Z-crank, the peculiarly-shaped crank of a cylinder, in a newly-invented engine for marine propulsion.
1877. W. H. White, Naval Archit., ix. 360. Provided the thin iron plating … be stiffened by angle-bars, T bars, or Z bars riveted to its surface. Ibid., x. 386. Z-iron … is used for frames behind armour in ironclads.
1880. Jos. Anderson, Scotl. in Early Chr. T., Ser. II. (1881), 114. The Z and kindred varieties of this ornament.
1839. Welch, Text Bk. Naval Archit., vi. 89. Instead of these Z bars, earlier vessels have the frames at their ends made up of two angle bars riveted back to back.
1893. F. Madan, Books in MS., 53. The Z-patterns [in the Book of Kells] (fine lines arranged diagonally, like natural and reversed Zeds combined).
3. As the last letter of the alphabet; hence allusively for ‘end,’ esp. in phr. from A to Z = from beginning to end, all through, in every particular. (Cf. It. dall’ A alla Zeta.)
1819. Keats, Otho, V. v. We must obey The prince from A to Z.
1876. Browning, Fears & Scruples, v. Ask the experts! How they shake the head O’er these characters,… Call them forgery from A to Z!
1877. Jas. Wells, Bible Echoes, 297. Christ is the A, and the Z of the Bible.
1912. L. Tracy, Mirabel’s Isl., v. (1915), 77. I know Ealing from A to Z, but have never visited Regent Street.
4. Used (usually repeated) to represent a buzzing sound. Hence Z-ing vbl. sb.
1852. Thoreau, Summer, 15 June. The dry z-ing of the locust is heard.
1884. R. W. Buchanan, New Abelard, i. The bats were seen flitting with thin z-like cry high up over the waterside.
1893. Kipling, Many Invent., 103. The oars rip out and go z-zzp all along the line.
1902. S. E. White, Blazed Trail, ii. The rhythmical z-z-z! z-z-z! [of the saw].
II. Symbolic uses.
5. Math. Used as the symbol for the third of a set of unknown or variable quantities (the first and second being denoted by x and y); spec. in Analytical Geometry of three dimensions, for a quantity measured in the direction of the third axis of coordinates (hence called the axis of z).
For the history see X 3 note.
1660, 1709. [see X 3].
6. Used abstractly for the name of a person or thing: cf. X 3, 3 c, Y 5.
1798, 1873, 1901. [see X 3 c].
1833. Newman, Lett. to Froude, 13 Nov. Palmer musters the Z.’s [sc. Establishment men] in great force against the tracts, and some Evangelicals.
1848. Hannay, Biscuits & Grog, 109. They take care also to tell you in their quartos what they had for dinner, and how much they enjoyed the society of Lord X, the Marquis of Y, and Baron Z.
1880. ‘Mark Twain,’ Tramp Abr., xiii. Mr. X. pranced in in his long night garment with a candle, young Z. after him with another candle.
7. Used, like the other letters of the alphabet, to denote position in a series.
1842. Dickens, Amer. Notes, viii. We dismounted with as much ease and comfort as though we had been escorted by the whole Metropolitan Force from A to Z inclusive.
1860. Sala, Baddington P., xxiv. A very Rabelais of the Z division. Ibid., Z. 92 saw the striped bracelet of a sergeantcy in perspective.
1862. Thackeray, Philip, xxxviii. ‘Tell that to his worship,’ says the incredulous Z.
1867. ‘Ouida,’ Cecil Castlemaine’s Gage, etc. 381. He exchanged into the Z Battery going out to India.
