Z
n 1: the ending of a series or sequence; "the Alpha and the
Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end"--
Revelation [syn: omega, Z]
2: the 26th letter of the Roman alphabet; "the British call Z
zed and the Scots call it ezed but Americans call it zee";
"he doesn't know A from izzard" [syn: Z, z, zee, zed,
ezed, izzard]
|
Z \Z\ (z[=e]; in England commonly, and in America sometimes,
z[e^]d; formerly, also, [i^]z"z[e^]rd)
Z, the twenty-sixth and last letter of the English alphabet,
is a vocal consonant. It is taken from the Latin letter Z,
which came from the Greek alphabet, this having it from a
Semitic source. The ultimate origin is probably Egyptian.
Etymologically, it is most closely related to s, y, and j; as
in glass, glaze; E. yoke, Gr. ?, L. yugum; E. zealous,
jealous. See Guide to Pronunciation, [sect][sect] 273, 274.
[1913 Webster]
|