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zone

 - 8 dictionary results

zone

  [zohn] noun, verb, zoned, zon⋅ing.
Use zone in a Sentence
–noun
1. any continuous tract or area that differs in some respect, or is distinguished for some purpose, from adjoining tracts or areas, or within which certain distinctive circumstances exist or are established.
2. Geography. any of five great divisions of the earth's surface, bounded by lines parallel to the equator and named according to the prevailing temperature. Compare North Frigid Zone, North Temperate Zone, South Frigid Zone, South Temperate Zone, Torrid Zone.
3. Biogeography. an area characterized by a particular set of organisms, whose presence is determined by environmental conditions, as an altitudinal belt on a mountain.
4. Geology. a horizon.
5. Geometry. a part of the surface of a sphere included between two parallel planes.
6. a specific district, area, etc., within which a uniform charge is made for transportation, mail delivery, or other service.
7. the total number of available railroad terminals within a given circumference around a given shipping center.
8. an area or district in a city or town under special restrictions as to the type, size, purpose, etc., of existing or proposed buildings.
9. time zone.
10. Also called postal delivery zone. (in the U.S. postal system) any of the numbered districts into which a city or metropolitan area was formerly divided for expediting the sorting and delivery of mail.
11. Sports. a particular portion of a playing area: The wing was trapped with the puck in his own defensive zone.
12. Archaic. a girdle or belt; cincture.
–verb (used with object)
13. to mark with zones or bands.
14. to divide into zones, tracts, areas, etc., as according to existing characteristics or as distinguished for some purpose.
15. to divide (a city, town, neighborhood, etc.) into areas subject to special restrictions on any existing or proposed buildings.
16. to encircle or surround with a zone, girdle, belt, or the like.
–verb (used without object)
17. to be formed into zones.
Origin:
1490–1500; < L zōna < Gk znē belt

Related forms:
zoneless, adjective

Synonyms:
1. region. See belt. 16. gird, band.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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zone   (zōn)   


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n.  

  1. An area or a region distinguished from adjacent parts by a distinctive feature or characteristic.

    1. Any of the five regions of the surface of the earth that are loosely divided according to prevailing climate and latitude, including the Torrid Zone, the North and South Temperate zones, and the North and South Frigid zones.

    2. A similar division on any other planet.

    3. Mathematics A portion of a sphere bounded by the intersections of two parallel planes with the sphere.

    4. A region on a punch card or on magnetic tape in which nondigital information is recorded.

    5. A section of storage to be used for a particular purpose.

  3. Ecology An area characterized by distinct physical conditions and populated by communities of certain kinds of organisms.

  4. Anatomy A ringlike or cylindrical growth or structure.

  5. Geology A region or stratum distinguished by composition or content.

  6. A section of an area or territory established for a specific purpose, as a section of a city restricted to a particular type of building, enterprise, or activity: a residential zone.

  7. An area of a given radius within which a uniform rate is charged, as for transportation or shipping.

  8. Computer Science

    1. A region on a punch card or on magnetic tape in which nondigital information is recorded.

    2. A section of storage to be used for a particular purpose.

  9. Archaic A belt or girdle.

tr.v.   zoned, zon·ing, zones

  1. To divide into zones.

  2. To designate or mark off into zones.

  3. To surround or encircle with or as if with a belt or girdle.

adj.  

  1. Of, relating to, associated with, or divided into zones; zonal.

  2. Sports Of, relating to, or being a system of defense, especially in basketball and football, in which each defender guards a predetermined part of the playing area rather than an individual player.

Phrasal Verb(s):
zone out Informal To lose concentration or become inattentive.

Idiom(s):
in the zoneInformal In a state of focused attention or energy so that one's performance is enhanced: a goalie who was in the zone throughout the playoffs.

[Middle English, one of the encircling regions of the earth, from Latin zōna, girdle, celestial zone, from Greek zōnē.]
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

zone 
1390, from L. zona "geographical belt, celestial zone," from Gk. zone "a belt," related to zonnynai "to gird," from PIE base *yes- "to gird, girdle" (cf. Avestan yasta- "girt," Lith. juosiu "to gird," O.C.S. po-jasu "girdle"). Originally one of the five great divisions of the earth's surface (torrid, temperate, frigid; separated by tropics of Cancer and Capricorn and Arctic and Antarctic circles); meaning "any discrete region" is first recorded 1822. Zone defense in team sports is recorded from 1927. Zoning "land-use planning" is recorded from 1912. Zoned (adj.) in drug-use sense is attested 1960s, from ozone, which is found high in the atmosphere; the related verb to zone is from 1980s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: zone
Function: noun
: a specifically designated section of a larger area or territory: as a : a section of a municipality controlled by specific restrictions on permitted use (as for residences or agriculture) b : a distance within which the same fare is charged by a common carrier c : a stretch of roadway or a space within which certain traffic regulations are in force

Main Entry: zone
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: zoned; zon·ing
1 a : to partition (as a city or town) by ordinance into sections reserved for different purposes (as residence or business) b : to designate the permitted use of (property) by placement in a municipal zone zoned for agricultural use>
2 : to restrict different kinds of (use) to different areas zone land use within its borders>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: zone
Pronunciation: 'zOn
Function: noun
1 : an encircling anatomical structure
2 : a region or area set off asdistinct
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

zone (zōn)
n.

  1. An area or a region distinguished from adjacent parts by a distinctive feature or characteristic.

  2. See zona.

  3. A segment.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Computing Dictionary

zone
A logical group of network devices on AppleTalk.
(1994-11-30)

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