zebra

[zee-bruh; British also zeb-ruh] /ˈzi brə; British also ˈzɛb rə/
noun, plural zebras (especially collectively) zebra.
1.
any of several horselike African mammals of the genus Equus, each species having a characteristic pattern of black or dark-brown stripes on a whitish background: all zebra species are threatened or endangered.
2.
Also called zebra butterfly. a tropical butterfly, Heliconius charithonius, having black wings barred with yellow.
3.
(initial capital letter) a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter Z.
4.
Football Slang. an official, who usually wears a black and white striped shirt.
5.
zebra crossing.
Origin
1590-1600; 1975-80 for def 4; < Portuguese zebra, zebro the Iberian wild ass (Spanish cebra), perhaps < Latin equiferus (Pliny) kind of wild horse, equivalent to equi- (combining form of equus horse) + ferus wild
Related forms
zebralike, zebraic
[zi-brey-ik] /zɪˈbreɪ ɪk/ (Show IPA), adjective
Examples from the web for zebra
  • No such thing as zebra mussels back then, or any concern about water pollution, either.
  • But none can accomplish what the zebra fish, a common denizen of home aquariums, can do: regenerate their hearts.
  • zebra's great speed and the lion's hunting tactics are a result of a co-evolutionary arms race.
  • Imagine that you are a zebra, grazing in the savanna.
  • She found out something new and exciting about bone growth by studying it in zebra fish.
  • Which is important stuff for figuring out who gets the tastiest cut of zebra.
  • Sensory axons covering the tail of a three-day-old larval zebra fish.
  • Now replace the savanna with mountains and the zebra with monkeys.
  • Lately mine runs toward caramel apples, toddlers in zebra costumes and candy corn.
  • Now there is a new threat to these already distressed mollusks--the zebra mussel.
British Dictionary definitions for zebra

zebra

/ˈziːbrə; ˈzɛbrə/
noun (pl) -ras, -ra
1.
any of several mammals of the horse family (Equidae), such as Equus burchelli (the common zebra), of southern and eastern Africa, having distinctive black-and-white striped hides
Derived Forms
zebra-like, zebraic (zɪˈbreɪɪk) adjective
zebrine (ˈziːbraɪn; ˈzɛb-), zebroid, adjective
Word Origin
C16: via Italian from Old Spanish: wild ass, probably from Vulgar Latin eciferus (unattested) wild horse, from Latin equiferus, from equus horse + ferus wild

Zebra

/ˈziːbrə; ˈzɛbrə/
noun (finance)
1.
a noninterest-paying bond in which the accrued income is taxed annually rather than on redemption Compare zero (sense 12)
Word Origin
C20: from zero-coupon bond
Word Origin and History for zebra
n.

c.1600, from Italian zebra, perhaps via Portuguese, earlier applied to a now-extinct wild ass, said to be Congolese [OED], or Amharic [Klein], but perhaps ultimately from Latin equiferus "wild horse," from equus "horse" (see equine) + ferus (see fierce).

Slang definitions & phrases for zebra

zebra

noun
  1. A referee or other sports official who wears a striped shirt on the playing field: Pro football zebras point immediately toward the offending team/ a crooked Zebra (also known as an umpire) (1978+ Sports)
  2. An unlikely, arcane, or obscure diagnosis (1980s+ Medical)
  3. A person of mixed black and white race: I've been called a ''zebra'' and an ''Oreo'' (1980s+)

[the medical sense is fr the saying ''If you hear horse's hoofbeats going by outside, don't look for zebras'']


zebra in Technology

A data management package in the CERN Program Library.