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zest

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zest

[zest]
–noun
1. keen relish; hearty enjoyment; gusto.
2. an agreeable or piquant flavor imparted to something.
3. anything added to impart flavor, enhance one's appreciation, etc.
4. piquancy; interest; charm.
5. liveliness or energy; animating spirit.
6. the peel, esp. the thin outer peel, of a citrus fruit used for flavoring: lemon zest.
–verb (used with object)
7. to give zest, relish, or piquancy to.

Origin:
1665–75; < F zest (now zeste) orange or lemon peel used for flavoring < ?


zestless, adjective


4. spice, tang.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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zest   (zěst)   
n.  
    1. Flavor or interest; piquancy.

    2. The outermost part of the rind of an orange, lemon, or other citrus fruit, used as flavoring.

  1. Spirited enjoyment; gusto: "At 53 he retains all the heady zest of adolescence" (Kenneth Tynan).

tr.v.   zest·ed, zest·ing, zests
To give zest, charm, or spirit to.

[Obsolete French, orange or lemon peel.]
zest'ful adj., zest'ful·ly adv., zest'ful·ness n., zest'y adj.
Synonyms: These nouns denote keen, hearty pleasure or appreciation: ate with zest; telling a joke with gusto; has no relish for repetitive work.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

zest 
1674, from Fr. zeste "piece of orange or lemon peel used as a flavoring," of unknown origin. Sense of "thing that adds flavor" is 1709; that of "keen enjoyment" first attested 1791.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Computing Dictionary

ZEST
An object-oriented extension of Z.
["Object Orientation in Z", S. Stepney et al eds, Springer 1992].

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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