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zebra

 [zee-bruh; Brit. also zeb-ruh]   Origin

ze·bra

   [zee-bruh; Brit. also zeb-ruh]
noun, plural ze·bras, (especially collectively) ze·bra.
1.
any of several horselike African mammals of the genus Equus, each species having a characteristic pattern of black or dark-brown stripes on a whitish background: all zebra species are threatened or endangered.
2.
Also called zebra butterfly. a tropical butterfly, Heliconius charithonius, having black wings barred with yellow.
3.
(initial capital letter) a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter Z.
4.
Football Slang. an official, who usually wears a black and white striped shirt.
5.
zebra crossing.
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Origin:
1590–1600; 1975–80 for def. 4; < Portuguese zebra, zebro the Iberian wild ass (Spanish cebra), perhaps < Latin equiferus (Pliny) kind of wild horse, equivalent to equi- (combining form of equus horse) + ferus wild

Related forms
ze·bra·like, ze·bra·ic  [zi-brey-ik] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To ZEBRA

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Zebra is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Collins
World English Dictionary
zebra (ˈziːbrə, ˈzɛbrə)
 
—n , pl -ras, -ra
any of several mammals of the horse family (Equidae), such as Equus burchelli (the common zebra), of southern and eastern Africa, having distinctive black-and-white striped hides
 
[C16: via Italian from Old Spanish: wild ass, probably from Vulgar Latin eciferus (unattested) wild horse, from Latin equiferus, from equus horse + ferus wild]
 
'zebra-like
 
—adj
 
zebraic
 
—adj
 
zebrine
 
—adj
 
'zebroid
 
—adj

Zebra (ˈziːbrə, ˈzɛbrə)
 
—n
Compare zero a noninterest-paying bond in which the accrued income is taxed annually rather than on redemption
 
[C20: from zero-coupon bond]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

zebra
1600, from It. zebra, perhaps from Port., earlier applied to a now-extinct wild ass, said to be Congolese [OED], or Amharic [Klein], but perhaps ult. from L. equiferus "wild horse," from equus "horse" + ferus (see fierce).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

zebra definition


  1. n.
    a referee. (Because of the black-and-white striped shirt.) : The zebra blew the whistle on almost every play.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary

ZEBRA definition


A data management package in the CERN Program Library.

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org
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Image for ZEBRA
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