Zebra

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈzÉ›bɹə/, /ˈziːbɹə/
• US and trad. English IPA: /ˈziːbɹə/

Origin

1600; from Italian zebra, from Portuguese zebra, zebro ("zebra"), from Old Portuguese enzebro, ezebra, azebra ("wild ass"), from earlier cebrario (882), ezebrario (897), from Vulgar Latin *eciferus, from Latin equiferus ("wild horse") (Pliny), from equus ("horse") + ferus ("wild").

(biracial person) The term zebra, as used in its pejorative sense, was popularized on the television situation comedy The Jeffersons. The term was used by the series protagonist, George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley), to express disdain for his daughter-in-law, Jenny Willis Jefferson, whose father was white and mother was black.

While the word was traditionally pronounced with a long initial vowel in standard English, during the twentieth century a vowel shift occurred in regions of England, with the adoption of an initial short vowel.

This pronunciation is now used throughout the UK and Commonwealth. The long vowel pronunciation remains standard in American English.

Full definition of zebra

Noun

1. Any of three species of genus Equus: E. grevyi, E. quagga, or E. zebra, all with black and white stripes and native to Africa.
2. (sports, slang) A referee.
3. (medicine, slang) An unlikely diagnosis, especially for symptoms probably caused by a common ailment. (Originates in the advice often given to medical students: "When you hear hoof beats, think of horses, not zebras.")
4. (vulgar, pejorative, slang) A bi-racial person, specifically one born to a member of the Sub-Saharan African race and a Caucasian.

Hyponyms

• (animal of genus Equus) Burchell's zebra, Grevy's zebra, quagga, plains zebra, mountain zebra

Synonyms

• (unusual diagnosis) fascinoma

Derived terms

Anagrams

• braze