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zombie - 6 dictionary results

zom⋅bie

  [zom-bee]
Use zombie in a Sentence
–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
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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zom·bie   (zŏm'bē)   
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.]
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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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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Language Translation for : zombie
Spanish: zombi,
German: das Zombie,
Japanese: のろま
More Translations »

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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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 by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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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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