Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The 26th letter of the modern English alphabet.
  • noun Any of the speech sounds represented by the letter z.
  • noun The 26th in a series.
  • noun Something shaped like the letter Z.
  • noun Slang Sleep.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In astronomy, an abbreviation of Zonæ Cordobenses, Gould's Cordova Zones. See C. Z.
  • noun An abbreviation of Zoölogical Garden or Gardens.
  • The twenty-sixth character in the English alphabet, and the last, as in that of the later Romans.
  • As a symbol, in mathematics:
  • [lowercase] In algebra, the third variable or unknown quantity.
  • [lowercase] In analytical geometry, one of the system of point-coördinates in space.
  • In mechanics, the component of a force in the direction of the axis of z.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • Z, the twenty-sixth and last letter of the English alphabet, is a vocal consonant. It is taken from the Latin letter Z, which came from the Greek alphabet, this having it from a Semitic source. The ultimate origin is probably Egyptian. Etymologically, it is most closely related to s, y, and j; as in glass, glaze; E. yoke, Gr. �, L. yugum; E. zealous, jealous. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 273, 274.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The twenty-sixth letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.
  • noun metrology Symbol for the prefix zepto-.
  • noun astronomy Symbol for the redshift.
  • noun mathematics Used to denote a real variable when x and y are already in use.
  • noun mathematics Used to denote the third coordinate in three-dimensional Cartesian and cylindrical coordinate systems.
  • noun mathematics Used to denote a complex variable.
  • noun statistics Used to denote a value of a standard normal random variable.
  • noun analytic geometry, classical mechanics Quantity along the third axis in a three-dimensional system, vertical when applicable.
  • noun chemistry Symbol for atomic number.
  • noun voiced alveolar fricative
  • noun The twenty-sixth letter of the English alphabet, called zed or zee and written in the Latin script.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the ending of a series or sequence
  • noun the 26th letter of the Roman alphabet

Etymologies

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Examples

  • For example, all pronouns like first person *zō violate markedness because plain *z is so rare in his convoluted phonology while palatal *ź is used to explain almost everything see his list of 'z words' here where his diacritic bias is self-evident.

    Archive 2007-10-01 2007

  • For example, all pronouns like first person *zō violate markedness because plain *z is so rare in his convoluted phonology while palatal *ź is used to explain almost everything see his list of 'z words' here where his diacritic bias is self-evident.

    The Tower of Babel 2007

  • Let x, y, z, and t denote the coordinates and syn - chronized clock times used by E in his spaceship refer - ence frame S; and let x′, y′, z′, and t′ denote the corre - sponding quantities used by E′ in S′.

    RELATIVITY BANESH HOFFMANN 1968

  • Z-- z-- z-- z! as I ducked to the saddle-bow, and something scraped across my back with a sound as of rending garments.

    The Idler Magazine, Volume III, April 1893 An Illustrated Monthly Various

  • W + x + y + z = 4 (6) and W² + x² + y² + z² = 1 (7) are equations in which their number is four.

    The Fourth Dimension Simply Explained 1910

  • I think it's S, z, c, z-- _ [Lina gives him her visiting-card].

    Misalliance George Bernard Shaw 1903

  • She reeled in, slowly and steadily for a moment, and then, whiz -- z-- z! off he dashed again.

    In the Quarter 1899

  • When the triangle _a z n_, by settling, drives backwards the 2/3 of each 1/2 circle that is _a s_ and in the same way _z m_, the reason is that _a_ is perpendicularly over _b_ and so likewise _z_ is above

    The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Complete 1452-1519 Leonardo da Vinci 1485

  • When the triangle _a z n_, by settling, drives backwards the 2/3 of each 1/2 circle that is _a s_ and in the same way _z m_, the reason is that _a_ is perpendicularly over _b_ and so likewise _z_ is above

    The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Volume 2 1452-1519 Leonardo da Vinci 1485

  • Slide 50: The Formula zi+1 = zi2 + c (1) where z0: = 0 + 0i c: = x + yi for every pixel: z →0⇒z ∈ M z → ∞ ⇒z ∈ M /

    Recently Uploaded Slideshows 2009

Comments

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  • zulu time - We should arrive there at 1700Z today. The Z means Zulu which means UTC which means Universal Time Coordinated which means Greenwich Mean Time GMT.

    July 24, 2009

  • Pronunciation?

    September 19, 2009