zodiac

See also: Zodiac, zodíac, and zódiac

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈzəʊ.dɪˌæk/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈzoʊ.diˌæk/

Etymology 1

From Middle English zodiak (late 14th century), from Old French zodiaque, from Latin zōdiacus, from Ancient Greek ζῳδιακός [κύκλος] (zōidiakós [kúklos], “[circle] of little animals”), from ζῴδιον (zōídion), the diminutive of ζῷον (zōîon, “animal”).

Alternative forms

• zodiack (obsolete)
• Zodiac

Noun

zodiac (plural zodiacs)

1. (astrology) The belt-like region of the celestial sphere, approximately eight degrees north and south of the ecliptic, which includes the apparent path of the sun, moon, and visible planets.

   Synonym: (figurative, obsolete) baldric

   • 1769, Firishta, translated by Alexander Dow, Tales translated from the Persian of Inatulla of Delhi, volume I, Dublin: P. and W. Wilson et al., page iv:

     Tremulous on the bladed graſs ſhone bright the pearly drops, like an aſſembly of ſparkling ſtars dancing on the plains of the zodiac; vocal was every bending ſpray, every reed was inſpired, each vvarbling throat ſeemed to emulate the melodious voice of the bird of a thouſand ſongs.

2. (astrology) The twelve equal divisions of the zodiacal region into signs or houses, each named for a prominent constellation in the region.

   Synonym: star sign

   1. (astrology) The Chinese zodiac.
3. (astronomy) The ecliptic: the belt-like region of the celestial sphere corresponding to the apparent path of the sun over the course of a year.
4. Any of various astrological systems considered similar to the above.
   • 1998, Sylvia Sikundar, Barbara DuMoulin, Celebrating Our Cultures, Pembroke Publishers Limited, →ISBN, page 58:

     Discussing both Chinese and Western zodiacs might be a prewriting activity.

   • 1998, John H. Roger, “Origins of the ancient constellations: I. The Mesopotamian traditions”, in Journal of the British Astronomy Association, volume 108, number 1, page 10, column 1:

     So the Dendera Zodiac seems to be a complete copy of the Mesopotamian zodiac.

5. (countable) A circle decorated with the signs of the zodiac.

Derived terms

• Chinese zodiac
• sign of the zodiac
• zodiacal
• zodiacal light
• zodiac sign

Translations

belt-like region in the sky

• Arabic: أَبْرَاجُ السَّمَاء f pl (ʔabrāju s-samāʔ)
• Armenian: կենդանակերպ (hy) (kendanakerp)
• Bulgarian: зодиак m (zodiak)
• Catalan: zodíac m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 黃道帶 / 黄道带 (zh) (huángdàodài)

• Czech: zvěrokruh (cs) m, zvířetník (cs) m
• Danish: zodiak c, dyrekredsj c
• Dutch: dierenriem (nl) m, Zodiak m
• Esperanto: zodiako
• Finnish: eläinrata (fi), zodiakki (fi)
• French: zodiaque (fr) m
• Galician: zodíaco (gl) m
• Georgian: ზოდიაქო (zodiako)
• German: Zodiac m, Zodiak (de) m
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: ζῳδιακός m (zōidiakós)

• Hindi: चक्र (hi) m (cakra), राशिचक्र (hi) m (rāśicakra), भचक्र (hi) m (bhacakra)
• Hungarian: állatöv (hu), zodiákus (hu)
• Indonesian: zodiak (id), zodiak (id)
• Irish: stoidiaca m
• Italian: zodiaco (it) m
• Japanese: 黄道帯 (ja) (こうどうたい, kōdōtai), ゾディアック (zodiakku)
• Kazakh: зодиак (zodiak)
• Korean: 황도대(黃道帶) (hwangdodae), 수대(獸帶) (sudae)
• Macedonian: зо́дијак m (zódijak)
• Maltese: żodjaku m
• Māori: poutiriao, tātua poutiriao
• Norman: zodiaque m
• Occitan: zodiac (oc) m
• Pali: rāsicakka n
• Persian: منطقةالبروج (fa) (mantaqt-olboruj)
• Polish: zodiak (pl) m, zwierzyniec niebieski m
• Portuguese: zodíaco (pt) m
• Romanian: zodiac (ro) n
• Russian: зодиа́к (ru) m (zodiák)
• Sanskrit: चक्र (sa) m or n (cakra), राशिचक्र (sa) n (rāśicakra)
• Scottish Gaelic: grian-chrios m
• Slovak: zvieratník (sk) m, (obsolete) zverokruh m
• Spanish: zodíaco (es)
• Swedish: zodiaken (sv)
• Tagalog: tahaklaw
• Thai: จักรราศี (th) (jàk-grà-raa-sǐi)

twelve signs in astrology

• Afrikaans: diereriem (af)
• Arabic: أَبْرَاجُ السَّمَاء f pl (ʔabrāju s-samāʔ)
• Armenian: կենդանակերպ (hy) (kendanakerp)
• Bulgarian: зодия f (zodija)
• Catalan: zodíac m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: (Chinese zodiac) 生肖 (zh) (shēngxiào), 屬相 / 属相 (zh) (shǔxiàng), 十二宮 / 十二宫 (zh) (shí'èrgōng)

• Czech: zvěrokruh (cs) m
• Danish: zodiak c, dyrekreds c
• Dutch: dierenriem (nl) m, zodiak (nl) m
• Esperanto: zodiako
• Estonian: sodiaak (et)
• Finnish: (eläinradan) merkki
• French: zodiaque (fr) m
• Georgian: ზოდიაქო (zodiako)
• German: Tierkreis (de) m
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: ζῳδιακός m (zōidiakós)

• Hindi: राशि (hi) f (rāśi), राशिचक्र (hi) m (rāśicakra), चक्र (hi) m (cakra), भचक्र (hi) m (bhacakra), बुर्ज (hi) m (burj)
• Hungarian: állatöv (hu), zodiákus (hu)
• Icelandic: stjörnumerki (is) n
• Indonesian: rasi (id), zodiak (id)
• Irish: comhartha an Stoidiaca m
• Italian: zodiaco (it) m
• Japanese: 星座 (ja) (seiza), 十二宮 (ja) (じゅうにきゅう, jūnikyū)
• Kazakh: зодиак (zodiak)
• Korean: 황도 십이궁(黃道十二宮) (hwangdo sibigung), 십이궁(十二宮) (sibigung), 십이 성좌(十二星座) (sibi seongjwa)
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
• Macedonian: зо́дијак m (zódijak), хо́роскоп m (hóroskop)
• Malay: zodiak
• Maltese: żodjaku m
• Norman: zodiaque m
• Norwegian: zodiak m, dyrekrets (no) m, stjernetegnene n pl (definite)
• Odia: ଚକ୍ର (or) (chakra)
• Old English: circulcræft m
• Pali: rāsi m
• Polish: zodiak (pl) m, zwierzyniec niebieski m
• Portuguese: zodíaco (pt) m
• Romanian: zodiac (ro) n
• Russian: зодиа́к (ru) m (zodiák)
• Sanskrit: चक्र (sa) m or n (cakra), राशिचक्र (sa) n (rāśicakra), राशि (sa) m or f (rāśi)
• Scottish Gaelic: grian-chrios m, casan na grèine f pl
• Slovak: zvieratník (sk) m, (obsolete) zverokruh m
• Spanish: zodíaco (es)
• Swedish: stjärntecken (sv) n, zodiak c
• Tagalog: tahaklaw
• Thai: จักรราศี (th) (jàk-grà-raa-sǐi), ราศี (th) (raa-sǐi)
• Ukrainian: зодіа́к m (zodiák)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 黃道 / 黄道 (zh) (huáng dào)

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} dierenriem (nl) m, ^{(please verify)} zodiak (nl) m
• Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} גַּלְגַּל הַמַּזָּלוֹת (he) m

See also

• ecliptic
• zodiacal

Etymology 2

From the name of brand of inflatable boats produced by the French Zodiac Nautic company.

Alternative forms

• Zodiac

Noun

zodiac (plural zodiacs)

1. (nautical) A inflatable boat.

Synonyms

• inflatable boat

Friulian

Noun

zodiac m (plural zodiacs)

1. zodiac

Derived terms

• zodiacâl

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ζῳδιακός (zōidiakós).

Noun

zodiac n (plural zodiace)

1. zodiac

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	zodiac	zodiacul		zodiace	zodiacele
genitive-dative	zodiac	zodiacului		zodiace	zodiacelor
vocative	zodiacule			zodiacelor

Spanish

Noun

zodiac m (plural zodiacs)

1. alternative spelling of zódiac (“rubber dinghy”)