zombie

See also: Zombie

English

Alternative forms

• zombi

Etymology

[1871] From a Bantu language. Compare Kongo zumbi (“fetish”), Kimbundu nzambi (“god”), and Caribbean folklore's jumbee (“a spirit or demon”). May also be from Louisiana Creole [Term?] (“phantom, ghost”) related to Spanish sombra. See also French zombi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈzɒmbi/
• enPR: zŏmʹbē, IPA^(key): /ˈzɑmbi/

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒmbi
• Hyphenation: zom‧bie

Noun

zombie (plural zombies)

1. A snake god or fetish in religions of West Africa and elsewhere.
2. (voodoo, superstition) A person, usually undead, animated by unnatural forces (such as magic), with no soul or will of his/her own.
3. (fiction) A deceased person who becomes reanimate to attack the living.

   I shot a zombie. He was a zombie, Kenneth. The pilot was bitten before he picked us up!

   • 2017 February 23, Katie Rife, “The Girl With All The Gifts tries to put a fresh spin on overripe zombie clichés”, in The Onion AV Club‎^[1]:

     The zombies first show up 20 minutes in, after Melanie volunteers herself as the next child to mysteriously disappear in the middle of the night. That’s when we learn that Melanie and her classmates are all “hungries,” or people infected with a toxic fungus that turns them into mindless flesh-eating animals.

4. (figuratively) An apathetic person.
5. (figuratively) A human being in a state of extreme mental exhaustion.

   After working for 18 hours on the computer, I was a zombie.

6. An information worker who has signed a nondisclosure agreement.
7. (computing) A process or task which has terminated but has not been removed from the list of processes, typically because it has an unresponsive parent process.
   • Maurice J. Bach The Design of the Unix Operating System, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, USA, 1986. See "Process States and Transitions," p. 147.

     9. The process executed the exit system call and is in the zombie state. The process no longer exists, but it leaves a record containing an exit code and some timing statistics for its parent process to collect. The zombie state is the final state of a process.

8. (computing) A computer affected by malware which causes it to do whatever the attacker wants it to do without the user's knowledge.
9. A cocktail of rum and fruit juices.
   • 1976, Harvard Advocate CX:ii, pages 8 and 380:

     The maitre d’ introduced us and I had a zombie with him. Those zombies are wicked.

     […]

     I watched Mario and drank zombies out of a thermos.

10. (Canada, historical, derogatory) A conscripted member of the Canadian military during World War II who was assigned to home defence rather than to combat in Europe.
    • 1944, "Time for Decision," Time (US edition), 6 Nov.,

      Had the time come to order Canada's home defense draftees—some 70,000 zombies idling at home—to battle overseas?

11. (Australia, slang) Marijuana, or similar drugs.
12. (philosophy) A hypothetical being that is indistinguishable from a normal human being except in that it lacks conscious experience, qualia, or sentience.

    Synonym: p-zombie

Synonyms

• (person that is undead): living dead, ghoul, walking dead
• (information worker): intellectual prostitute

Derived terms

Terms derived from "zombie"

• antizombie
• zimbo
• zombic
• zombically
• zombielike
• zombify/zombification
• zombyish
• (business):
  • zombie bank
  • zombie S&L
  • zombie institution
  • zombie company
  • zombie business
  • zombie organization
• (philosophy):
  • zombie hypothesis
  • zombie world
  • zombie thought experiment
• (social science):
  • zombie effect
  • zombie walk

• (computing):
  • zombie network
  • zombie process
  • zombie client
  • zombie system
  • zombie program
  • zombie computer
  • zombie state
  • zombie version
  • zombie host
  • zombie path
  • zombie user
  • zombie software
• (dance):
  • zombie dance
• (cinema):
  • zombie film
  • zombie genre

Translations

the undead

• Arabic: زُومْبِي m (zūmbī)
• Armenian: զոմբի (hy) (zombi)
• Basque: zonbi
• Bulgarian: зомби (bg) n (zombi)
• Catalan: zombi m or f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 僵屍／僵尸 (zh) (jiāngshī) or 殭屍／僵尸 (jiāngshī), 僵尸 (jiāngshī), 喪屍／丧尸 (sàngshī), 丧尸 (sàngshī)

• Cornish: zombi m
• Czech: zombie f, zombík m (colloquial)
• Danish: zombie c
• Dutch: zombie (nl)
• Esperanto: zombio, sorĉkadavro
• Finnish: zombi (fi), zombie (fi)
• French: zombi (fr), zombie (fr)
• Galician: zombi
• Georgian: ზომბი (zombi)
• German: Zombie (de) m
• Greek: ζόμπι (el) n (zómpi)
• Hebrew: זוֹמְבִּי (zom'bí)
• Hindi: ज़ोंबी (zombī), ज़ोम्बी m (zombī), जोंबी m (jombī), जोम्बी m (jombī), जॉम्बी m (jŏmbī), ज़ॉम्बी m (zŏmbī)
• Hungarian: zombi
• Icelandic: uppvakningur m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: zombaí m
• Italian: zombi (it)
• Japanese: ゾンビ (ja) (zonbi)
• Korean: 좀비 (ko) (jombi)
• Lithuanian: zombis m
• Marathi: जॉम्बी (jŏmbī)
• Navajo: daaztsánée yigáłígíí
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: zombie (no) m

• Polish: zombi (pl) m, zombiak m (colloquial)
• Portuguese: zumbi (pt)
• Romanian: zombi (ro) m
• Russian: зо́мби (ru) m (zómbi)
• Slovak: zombia f, zombi m, zombie m
• Spanish: zombi m or f, zombie m or f
• Swedish: zombie (sv) c
• Thai: ผีดิบ (th) (pǐi-dìp), ซอมบี (sɔm-bîi)
• Tibetan: རོ་ལངས (ro langs)
• Turkish: zombi (tr), hortlak (tr)
• Urdu: زمبی (zombī)
• Welsh: sombi m

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Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈzombiː]
• IPA^(key): [ˈzombɪjɛ]

Noun

zombie n (also sometimes feminine)

1. zombie

Synonyms

• zombík
• nemrtvý

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Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English zombie, from a Bantu language.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈzɔm.bi/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: zom‧bie

Noun

zombie m (plural zombies, diminutive zombietje n)

1. zombie

Derived terms

• smombie

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Esperanto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [zomˈbie]
• Rhymes: -ie
• Hyphenation: zom‧bi‧e

Adverb

zombie

1. in the manner of a zombie, zombically

Related terms

• zombia (“related to zombie(s), zombic”)
• zombiigi (“zombify”)
• zombio (“zombie”)

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Finnish

Noun

zombie

1. Alternative form of zombi

Declension

Inflection of zombie (Kotus type 3/valtio, no gradation)
nominative		zombie	zombiet
genitive		zombien	zombieiden zombieitten
partitive		zombieta	zombieita
illative		zombieen	zombieihin
		singular	plural
nominative		zombie	zombiet
accusative	nom.	zombie	zombiet
	gen.	zombien
genitive		zombien	zombieiden zombieitten
partitive		zombieta	zombieita
inessive		zombiessa	zombieissa
elative		zombiesta	zombieista
illative		zombieen	zombieihin
adessive		zombiella	zombieilla
ablative		zombielta	zombieilta
allative		zombielle	zombieille
essive		zombiena	zombieina
translative		zombieksi	zombieiksi
abessive		zombietta	zombieitta
instructive		—	zombiein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of zombie (Kotus type 3/valtio, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative zombieni zombieni accusative nom. zombieni zombieni gen. zombieni genitive zombieni zombieideni zombieitteni partitive zombietani zombieitani inessive zombiessani zombieissani elative zombiestani zombieistani illative zombieeni zombieihini adessive zombiellani zombieillani ablative zombieltani zombieiltani allative zombielleni zombieilleni essive zombienani zombieinani translative zombiekseni zombieikseni abessive zombiettani zombieittani instructive — — comitative — zombieineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative zombiesi zombiesi accusative nom. zombiesi zombiesi gen. zombiesi genitive zombiesi zombieidesi zombieittesi partitive zombietasi zombieitasi inessive zombiessasi zombieissasi elative zombiestasi zombieistasi illative zombieesi zombieihisi adessive zombiellasi zombieillasi ablative zombieltasi zombieiltasi allative zombiellesi zombieillesi essive zombienasi zombieinasi translative zombieksesi zombieiksesi abessive zombiettasi zombieittasi instructive — — comitative — zombieinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative zombiemme zombiemme accusative nom. zombiemme zombiemme gen. zombiemme genitive zombiemme zombieidemme zombieittemme partitive zombietamme zombieitamme inessive zombiessamme zombieissamme elative zombiestamme zombieistamme illative zombieemme zombieihimme adessive zombiellamme zombieillamme ablative zombieltamme zombieiltamme allative zombiellemme zombieillemme essive zombienamme zombieinamme translative zombieksemme zombieiksemme abessive zombiettamme zombieittamme instructive — — comitative — zombieinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative zombienne zombienne accusative nom. zombienne zombienne gen. zombienne genitive zombienne zombieidenne zombieittenne partitive zombietanne zombieitanne inessive zombiessanne zombieissanne elative zombiestanne zombieistanne illative zombieenne zombieihinne adessive zombiellanne zombieillanne ablative zombieltanne zombieiltanne allative zombiellenne zombieillenne essive zombienanne zombieinanne translative zombieksenne zombieiksenne abessive zombiettanne zombieittanne instructive — — comitative — zombieinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative zombiensa zombiensa accusative nom. zombiensa zombiensa gen. zombiensa genitive zombiensa zombieidensa zombieittensa partitive zombietaan zombietansa zombieitaan zombieitansa inessive zombiessaan zombiessansa zombieissaan zombieissansa elative zombiestaan zombiestansa zombieistaan zombieistansa illative zombieensa zombieihinsa adessive zombiellaan zombiellansa zombieillaan zombieillansa ablative zombieltaan zombieltansa zombieiltaan zombieiltansa allative zombielleen zombiellensa zombieilleen zombieillensa essive zombienaan zombienansa zombieinaan zombieinansa translative zombiekseen zombieksensa zombieikseen zombieiksensa abessive zombiettaan zombiettansa zombieittaan zombieittansa instructive — — comitative — zombieineen zombieinensa

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zɔ̃.bi/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

zombie

1. feminine singular of zombi

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Italian

Noun

zombie m or f (uncountable)

1. Alternative spelling of zombi

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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From a Bantu language, via English zombie

Noun

zombie m (definite singular zombien, indefinite plural zombier, definite plural zombiene)

1. a zombie

See also

• zombi (Nynorsk) (although the spelling "zombie" is apparently also used)

References

• “zombie” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Slovak

Etymology

Ultimately, from a Bantu language.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈzɔmbi̯e]

Noun

zombie m (genitive singular zombieho, nominative plural zombieovia, genitive plural zombieov, declension pattern of kuli)

1. zombie

Declension

Declension of zombie

	singular	plural
nominative	zombie	zombieovia
genitive	zombieho	zombieov
dative	zombiemu	zombieom
accusative	zombieho	zombieov
locative	zombiem	zombieoch
instrumental	zombiem	zombieami

Synonyms

• zombi m
• zombia f

References

• “zombie”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2024

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Spanish

Noun

zombie m (plural zombies)

1. Alternative spelling of zombi

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Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɔmbɪ/

Etymology

Borrowed from English zombie, from a Bantu language.

Noun

zombie c

1. zombie

Declension

Declension of zombie
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	zombie	zombien	zombier	zombierna
Genitive	zombies	zombiens	zombiers	zombiernas