zebra

Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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See also: Zebra, zébra, zebră, zebrā, and żebra

English[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
A zebra (species of Equus)

Etymology[edit]

1600; borrowed 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.[1] This pronunciation is now used throughout the UK and Commonwealth. The long vowel pronunciation remains standard in American English.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (UK, Commonwealth) IPA(key): /ˈzɛbɹə/, /ˈziːbɹə/
    • Audio (UK)
      		(file)
    • Hyphenation: zeb‧ra
  • (US and trad. English) IPA(key): /ˈziːbɹə/
    • Audio (US)
      		(file)
    • Hyphenation: ze‧bra

Noun[edit]

zebra (plural zebra or zebras)

  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, derogatory, slang) A biracial person, specifically one born to a member of the Sub-Saharan African race and a Caucasian.
  5. (informal) A fish, the zebra cichlid.

Synonyms[edit]

Hyponyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Terms derived from zebra

Translations[edit]

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Wells, John (1997), “Our changing pronunciation”, in Transactions of the Yorkshire Dialect Society‎[1], retrieved 6 February 2014, pages xix.42-48

Anagrams[edit]

Basque[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

zebra

  1. zebra

Declension[edit]

(animate noun) declension of zebra
indefinite singular plural
absolutive zebra zebra zebrak
ergative zebrak zebrak zebrek
dative zebrari zebrari zebrei
genitive zebraren zebraren zebren
comitative zebrarekin zebrarekin zebrekin
causative zebrarengatik zebrarengatik zebrengatik
benefactive zebrarentzat zebrarentzat zebrentzat
instrumental zebraz zebraz zebrez
inessive zebrarengan zebrarengan zebrengan
allative zebrarengana zebrarengana zebrengana
terminative zebrarenganaino zebrarenganaino zebrenganaino
directive zebrarenganantz zebrarenganantz zebrenganantz
destinative zebrarenganako zebrarenganako zebrenganako
ablative zebrarengandik zebrarengandik zebrengandik
partitive zebrarik
-
-
prolative zebratzat
-
-

Catalan[edit]

Catalan Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia ca

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

zebra f (plural zebres)

  1. zebra

Cebuano[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English zebra, 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”).

Noun[edit]

zebra

  1. a zebra; 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. a pattern or motif similar to the stripes of a zebra
  3. (informal) an animal with zebra-like stripes

Czech[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

zebra f

  1. zebra

Declension[edit]

Declension
singular plural
nominative zebra zebry
genitive zebry zeber
dative zebře zebrám
accusative zebru zebry
vocative zebro zebry
locative zebře zebrách
instrumental zebrou zebrami

Further reading[edit]

  • zebra in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
  • zebra in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

Danish[edit]

Danish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia da

Noun[edit]

zebra c (singular definite zebraen, plural indefinite zebraer)

  1. zebra

Dutch[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

zebra m (plural zebra's, diminutive zebraatje n)

  1. zebra

Esperanto[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From zebro (“zebra”) +‎ -a.

Adjective[edit]

zebra (accusative singular zebran, plural zebraj, accusative plural zebrajn)

  1. zebrine, hippotigrine

Hypernyms[edit]

Hungarian[edit]

Zebra [1].
Zebra [2].

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): [ˈzɛbrɒ]
  • Hyphenation: zeb‧ra

Noun[edit]

zebra (plural zebrák)

  1. zebra (animal)
  2. pedestrian crossing, crosswalk, zebra crossing

Declension[edit]

Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, back harmony)
singular plural
nominative zebra zebrák
accusative zebrát zebrákat
dative zebrának zebráknak
instrumental zebrával zebrákkal
causal-final zebráért zebrákért
translative zebrává zebrákká
terminative zebráig zebrákig
essive-formal zebraként zebrákként
essive-modal — —
inessive zebrában zebrákban
superessive zebrán zebrákon
adessive zebránál zebráknál
illative zebrába zebrákba
sublative zebrára zebrákra
allative zebrához zebrákhoz
elative zebrából zebrákból
delative zebráról zebrákról
ablative zebrától zebráktól
Possessive forms of zebra
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. zebrám zebráim
2nd person sing. zebrád zebráid
3rd person sing. zebrája zebrái
1st person plural zebránk zebráink
2nd person plural zebrátok zebráitok
3rd person plural zebrájuk zebráik

Synonyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

(Compound words):

Italian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

zebra f (plural zebre)

  1. zebra
  2. (in the plural, informal) zebra crossing

Ladin[edit]

Noun[edit]

zebra f (plural zebres)

  1. zebra

Latin[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

zēbra f (genitive zēbrae); first declension

  1. (New Latin) zebra (Equus zebra)

Inflection[edit]

First declension.

Case Singular Plural
nominative zēbra zēbrae
genitive zēbrae zēbrārum
dative zēbrae zēbrīs
accusative zēbram zēbrās
ablative zēbrā zēbrīs
vocative zēbra zēbrae

Latvian[edit]

Wikipedia-logo.png
 zebra on Latvian Wikipedia
Zebra

Etymology[edit]

Possibly ultimately from a Congolese name for the animal, via Portuguese, via some other European language. Possibly also ultimately from Latin equiferus (“wild horse”), via Portuguese and/or Italian.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

zebra f (4th declension)

  1. zebra (esp. Equus zebra)

Declension[edit]

Declension of zebra (4th declension)
singular (vienskaitlis) plural (daudzskaitlis)
nominative (nominatīvs) zebra zebras
accusative (akuzatīvs) zebru zebras
genitive (ģenitīvs) zebras zebru
dative (datīvs) zebrai zebrām
instrumental (instrumentālis) zebru zebrām
locative (lokatīvs) zebrā zebrās
vocative (vokatīvs) zebra zebras

Polish[edit]

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

zebra f

  1. zebra (animal)
  2. (colloquial) zebra crossing

Declension[edit]

declension of zebra
singular plural
nominative zebra zebry
genitive zebry zebr
dative zebrze zebrom
accusative zebrę zebry
instrumental zebrą zebrami
locative zebrze zebrach
vocative zebro zebry

Synonyms[edit]

Portuguese[edit]

Portuguese Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pt
zebra (Equus quagga antiquorum)

Etymology[edit]

From zebro, from Old Portuguese zebro, ezebro (“European wild ass”), from Vulgar Latin *eciferus, from Latin equiferus (“wild horse”), from equus (“horse”) + ferus (“wild”). Compare Spanish cebra.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

zebra f (plural zebras)

  1. zebra

Descendants[edit]

Serbo-Croatian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

zȅbra f (Cyrillic spelling зе̏бра)

  1. zebra

Declension[edit]

Declension of zebra
singular plural
nominative zebra zebre
genitive zebre zebra
dative zebri zebrama
accusative zebru zebre
vocative zebro zebre
locative zebri zebrama
instrumental zebrom zebrama

Slovene[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

zébra f (genitive zébre, nominative plural zébre)

  1. zebra

Declension[edit]

Declension of zébra (feminine, a-stem)
singular dual plural
nominative zébra zébri zébre
accusative zébro zébri zébre
genitive zébre zéber zéber
dative zébri zébrama zébram
locative zébri zébrah zébrah
instrumental zébro zébrama zébrami

Spanish[edit]

Noun[edit]

zebra f (plural zebras)

  1. Obsolete spelling of cebra

Swedish[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Noun[edit]

zebra c

  1. zebra

Declension[edit]

Declension of zebra 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative zebra zebran zebror zebrorna
Genitive zebras zebrans zebrors zebrornas

Turkish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English zebra.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): [ˈzeb.ɾɑ]
  • Hyphenation: zeb‧ra

Noun[edit]

zebra (definite accusative zebrayı, plural zebralar)

  1. zebra

Declension[edit]

Inflection
Nominative zebra
Definite accusative zebrayı
Singular Plural
Nominative zebra zebralar
Definite accusative zebrayı zebraları
Dative zebraya zebralara
Locative zebrada zebralarda
Ablative zebradan zebralardan
Genitive zebranın zebraların
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