zabaglione                    frothy custard

zabernism                     the misuse of military power or authority; bullying, agression

zabra                         small Spanish sailing vessel

zabuton                       flat Japanese cushion for kneeling or sitting

zaddik                        a just and virtuous person

zaffre                        impure cobalt oxide

zaftig                        pleasingly plump

zaitech                       investment in financial markets by a company in order to boost profits

zakuska                       hors d'oeuvre; snack

zalambdodont                  having molar teeth with V-shaped ridges

zamacueca                     Chilean dance where partners move around each other

zamarra                       sheepskin jacket

zambomba                      Spanish percussion instrument

zambra                        Spanish dance

zampogna                      Italian bagpipe

zampone                       stuffed pigs' trotter sausage

zander                        a variety of European perch

zanella                       mixed twilled umbrella fabric

zanjero                       supervisor of irrigation canals

zanyism                       buffoonery

zanze                         African musical instrument like castanets

zapata                        flowing, drooping moustache

zapateado                     Latin-American dance with rhythmic tapping of the feet

zappy                         lively; entertaining

zarf                          ornamental holder for handle-less hot coffee cup or beer can

zari                          Indian gold and silver brocade

zariba                        square fence of thorn-bushes; fortified camp

zarzuela                      traditional Spanish vaudeville show; fish and shellfish stew

zatch                         female genitalia

zayat                         Burmese public meeting-hall or house of worship

zazzy                         flashy; stylish

zebrine                       of, like or pertaining to zebras

zebrinny                      offspring of male horse and female zebra

zebroid                       like or resembling a zebra

zebrule                       hybrid offspring of male zebra and female horse

zebu                          ox with hump and dewlap

zedoary                       aromatic root resembling ginger

zegedine                      silver drinking-cup

zeigarnik                     one who has a tendency for remembering uncompleted tasks

zeitgeber                     rhythmically occurring event that cues organisms' biological rhythms

zeitgeist                     the general culture, education, and morals of a given era

zek                           inmate of prison labour camp

zel                           form of Oriental cymbal

zelator                       sister in a convent in charge of checking on conduct of other nuns

zelatrix                      older nun in charge of disciplining younger nuns

zelophobia                    the fear of jealousy or intense emotion

zelotic                       of the nature of a zealot

zelotypia                     jealousy; excessive zeal in carrying out a project

zemblanity                    the inexorable discovery of what we don't want to know (contrast serendipity)

zeme                          Caribbean idol or totem

zemindar                      in colonial India, an indigenous revenue collector or landholder

zemirah                       Hebrew religious song sung at Sabbath meals

zemni                         blind mole-rat

zenana                        system of segregating women away from men in harems

zendalet                      large black woollen shawl worn over the head or shoulders

zendik                        a name given in the East to those charged with disbelief of any accepted religion, or accused of magical heresies heretic; magician

zendo                         hall for Zen Buddhist meditation

zenocentric                   measured with reference to the planet Jupiter

zenography                    study of the planet Jupiter

zenzic                        square of a number

zenzizenzizenzic              a number raised to the eighth power

zephyr                        lightweight wool or worsted fabric; the west wind

zeppole                       a variety of doughnut

zeptosecond                   one sextillionth of a second

zerk                          a grease fitting

zeroable                      able to be omitted from a sentence without any loss of meaning

zeta                          small room or closet in a church

zetetic                       1. proceeding by inquiry; a search or investigation

zetetic                       2. skeptic

zetetically                   skeptically

zeugma                        use of a word to modify two or more words in different ways

zeugmatography                imaging using nuclear magnetic resonance to study soft tissue

zeze                          stringed instrument resembling a zither

zho                           cross between a yak and a cow

zhoosh                        to tweak, finesse or improve something (for example, one's hair)

ziamet                        large ancient Turkish fiefdom

zibeline                      1. of, like or pertaining to the sable

zibeline                      2. soft piled wool

zibib                         colourless alcoholic drink made from raisins

ziganka                       Russian country dance

ziggurat                      Mesopotamian step pyramid

zills                         the finger cymbals worn by belly dancers

zimocca                       bath-sponge

zincic                        of, pertaining to or containing zinc

zinciferous                   bearing zinc

zincography                   process of engraving or etching on zinc

zineb                         white powder used as fungicide

zingaro                       a gypsy

zingiber                      ginger

zinke                         old wind instrument resembling the cornet

zinkiferous                   bearing zinc

zinnia                        brightly coloured annual flower

zinnober                      chrome green

ziraleet                      expression of joy among Arab women

zirconic                      of or pertaining to zirconium

zitella                       young girl; maiden

zither                        musical instrument with strings laid over horizontal board

ziti                          pasta shaped like large macaroni

zizany                        a harmful weed

zizel                         chipmunk

zizith                        the fringes at the corners of a tallith

zizyphus                      spiny fruit-bearing shrub

zizz                          sparkle; vim

zoanthropy                    the insane delusion that one is an animal

zoarium                       supporting structure for a polyp colony

zob                           a weak or contemptible person; a fool

zodiographer                  one who writes about animals

zoetic                        living; vital

zoetrope                      slotted rotating cylinder producing primitive animation

zograscope                    optical device for viewing stereoscopic images

zoiatrics                     veterinary surgery

zoic                          of, like or pertaining to animals; containing evidence of life

zoilism                       carping criticism; detraction

zoilist                       a person who thoroughly enjoys finding fault with others or in things around him

zoism                         doctrine that life originates from a single vital principle

zollverein                    customs union

zolotnik                      old Russian unit of weight equal to 1/6 of an ounce

zomotherapy                   the treatment of disease with a diet of raw meat

zona                          girdle or belt; patch or band

zonal                         of or like a zone; arranged in zones

zonarious                     of or pertaining to a girdle or purse

zonary                        of or like a zone; arranged in zones

zonelet                       a little zone

zonoid                        like a zone

zonule                        small zone

zonulet                       small belt or girdle

zonure                        small South African lizard

zooarchaeology                study of animal remains of archaeological sites

zoocentric                    centred on the animal world

zoocephalic                   animal-headed

zoochemistry                  chemistry of animals

zoochorous                    of seeds or spores spread by animals

zoochory                      spread of plant seeds or spores by animals

zooculture                    domestication of animals

zoocytium                     a hollow vessel

zoodikers                     an exclamation

zoodynamics                   dynamics of animal bodies

zoogamy                       sexual reproduction of animals

zoogenic                      produced from animals

zoogeography                  study of geographic distribution of animals

zoogeology                    study of fossil animal remains

zoogonous                     giving birth to live offspring

zoograft                      tissue from an animal grafted to a human

zoography                     the painting or description of animals

zoogyroscope                  device for depicting the movement of animals through rotating images

zooid                         asexually produced organism resembling an animal

zoolatry                      excessive devotion to animals or pets

zoolite                       fossil animal

zoomagnetism                  animal magnetism

zoomancy                      fortunetelling by observing animals

zoomania                      insane fondness for animals

zoometry                      measurement of animals

zoomimetic                    imitating an animal or part of an animal

zoomorphic                    having the form or shape of an animal

zoomorphism                   conception of a god or man in animal form

zoon                          organism regarded as a complete animal

zoonic                        of, like or pertaining to or derived from animals

zoonomy                       animal physiology

zoonosis                      disease of animals which can be transmitted to humans

zoonosology                   study of animal diseases

zoopathology                  study of animal diseases

zoopery                       experimentation on animals

zoophagy                      eating animals

zoophilia                     loving or caring for animals; bestiality

zoophily                      loving or caring for animals; bestiality

zoophobia                     the fear of animals

zoophorus                     continuous frieze depicting humans and animals

zoophysics                    physics of animal bodies

zoophysiology                 study of physiology of animals

zoophyte                      plant-like animal such as coral

zoophytology                  study of plant-like animals

zoopraxiscope                 device for depicting the movement of animals through rotating images

zooscopy                      hallucination that one is seeing animals

zoosemiotics                  the scientific study of communicating or signaling behavior in and across animal species

zoosophy                      knowledge or learning concerning animals

zootaxy                       science of classifying animals

zootechnics                   science of breeding animals

zoothapsis                    premature burial

zootheism                     attribution of divine qualities to animals

zootherapy                    veterinary therapeutics

zootomy                       dissection of animals; comparative anatomy

zootoxin                      poison derived from animal

zootrophy                     feeding or tending of animals

zootype                       animal serving as a type; figure of an animal used to represent a deity

zopissa                       combination of wax and pitch used for medicinal purposes

zoppa                         syncopated; limping (in music)

zoppetto                      medieval Italian limping hop dance

zori                          a form of Japanese sandals with a leather strap over the instep and a leather strip between the hallux and second toe

zorino                        euphemism for skunk fur

zoster                        a girdle

zosteriform                   shaped like a girdle

zosterops                     small tropical bird with a ring of white feathers around the eyes

zouk                          Caribbean disco dance and corresponding type of fast rhythmic music

zounds                        mild oath

zoysia                        perennial subtropical grass

zubrowka                      vodka flavoured with sweet-grass

zucca                         gourd

zucchetto                     round skullcap worn by Catholic clergy to indicate rank

zuche                         tree stump

zufolo                        small flute used to train songbirds

zug                           waterproof leather used for boots

zugtrompete                   slide trumpet

zugzwang                      in chess, when all possible moves weaken the position

zule                          in heraldry, a chess rook

zumbador                      South American hummingbird

zumbooruk                     a small cannon carried on the back of a camel

zumologist                    one who is skilled in the fermentation of liquors

zuppa                         fish soup

zurla                         Yugoslavian shawm

zurna                         Turkish bagpipe or shawm

zwieback                      sweet toasted biscuit

zwischenzug                   in chess, a temporizing move (i.e., a delay in capturing, usually via a check)

zwitterion                    ion carrying both a positive and negative charge

zydeco                        Louisiana Creole dance music

zygal                         formed like the letter H; of, like or pertaining to a yoke or union

zygnomic                      legally supported constraint on human freedom

zygodactyl                    having two toes pointing forward and two backwards

zygodactylic                  having two toes in front and two behind

zygology                      science of joining and fastening

zygoma                        bony arch on the side of the skull

zygomorphic                   bilaterally symmetrical

zygon                         connecting bar

zygopleural                   bilaterally symmetrical

zygosis                       conjugation

zymic                         of, like or pertaining to fermentation

zymite                        priest using leavened bread during communion

zymogenic                     causing fermentation

zymologist                    one skilled in the science of fermentation

zymology                      a science that deals with fermentation

zymometer                     instrument for measuring fermentation

zymosimeter                   instrument for measuring fermentation

zymosis                       fermentation

zymotechnics                  the art of fermentation

zymotic                       of, like or pertaining to fermentation

zymurgy                       branch of chemistry dealing with brewing and distilling

zythepsary                    a brewery

zythum                        a kind of Egyptian malt beer

zythum                        ancient Egyptian beer

zyxt                          second-person singular past tense of to see

zyzzogeton                    a genus of large South American leafhoppers

zyzzyva                       South American weevil

zzxjoanw                      a Maori drum