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zombie
7 dictionary results for: zombie
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
zom·bie       [zom-bee] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.(in voodoo)
a.the body of a dead person given the semblance of life, but mute and will-less, by a supernatural force, usually for some evil purpose.
b.the supernatural force itself.
2.Informal.
a.a person whose behavior or responses are wooden, listless, or seemingly rote; automaton.
b.an eccentric or peculiar person.
3.a snake god worshiped in West Indian and Brazilian religious practices of African origin.
4.a tall drink made typically with several kinds of rum, citrus juice, and often apricot liqueur.
5.Canadian Slang. an army conscript assigned to home defense during World War II.
[Origin: 1810–20; appar. < Kongo or Kimbundu nzambi god]

—Related forms
zom·bi·ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
zom·bie       (zŏm'bē)  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
  1. A snake god of voodoo cults in West Africa, Haiti, and the southern United States.
    1. A supernatural power or spell that according to voodoo belief can enter into and reanimate a corpse.
    2. A corpse revived in this way.
  3. One who looks or behaves like an automaton.
  4. A tall mixed drink made of various rums, liqueur, and fruit juice.


[Caribbean French and English Creole, from Kimbundu -zumbi, ghost, departed spirit.]

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
zombie 
1871, of W. African origin (cf. Kikongo zumbi "fetish;" Kimbundu nzambi "god"), originally the name of a snake god, later with meaning "reanimated corpse" in voodoo cult. But perhaps also from Louisiana creole word meaning "phantom, ghost," from Sp. sombra "shade, ghost." Sense "slow-witted person" is recorded from 1936.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
zombie

noun
1. a dead body that has been brought back to life by a supernatural force [syn: zombi] 
2. (voodooism) a spirit or supernatural force that reanimates a dead body [syn: zombi] 
3. a god of voodoo cults of African origin worshipped especially in West Indies [syn: zombi] 
4. someone who acts or responds in a mechanical or apathetic way; "only an automaton wouldn't have noticed" [syn: automaton] 
5. several kinds of rum with fruit juice and usually apricot liqueur 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Wallstreet Words - Cite This Source - Share This

zombie

A company that remains in business even though it is technically bankrupt and almost surely headed for the graveyard.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms for Today's Investor by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

zombie
1. zombie process.
2. A ghost.
[The Jargon File]
(1997-10-08)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Jargon File - Cite This Source - Share This

zombie

n. [Unix] A process that has died but has not yet relinquished its process table slot (because the parent process hasn't executed a `wait(2)' for it yet). These can be seen in `ps(1)' listings occasionally. Compare orphan.

Jargon File 4.2.0
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