For today’s Weird Word Wednesday, let’s look at three words that start with the letter Z: Zeitgeber, zapateado and Zyzzogeton.
Here’s what www.merriam-webster (unabridged edition) says about these weird words:
Pronunciation: [ ˈtsītˌgābər ]
Part of speech: Noun
Definition: An environmental agent or event (such as the occurrence of light or dark) that provides the stimulus setting or resetting a biological clock of an organism.
Language origin: German
“Zeitgeber.” Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/zeitgeber. Accessed 11 Apr. 2022.
zapateado
Pronunciation: [ ˌzäpətēˈä(ˌ)dō ]
Part of speech: Noun
Definition: A rhythmic stamping or tapping step characteristic of Spanish dancing or a Spanish or Latin-American dance marked by the zapateado Language origin: Spanish
“Zapateado.” Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/zapateado. Accessed 11 Apr. 2022.
Zyzzogeton
Pronunciation: [ ˌzizəˈjēˌtän ]
Part of speech: Noun
Definition: A genus of large South American leafhoppers (family Cicadellidae) having the pronotum tuberculate and the front tibiae grooved.
Language origin: New Latin and Greek
“Zyzzogeton.” Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/Zyzzogeton. Accessed 11 Apr. 2022.