zebra

== English == === Etymology === First attested in 1600. Borrowed from Italian zebra, from Portuguese zebra, zebro (“zebra”), from Old Galician-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”). (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?) While the word was traditionally pronounced with a long vowel in the first syllable in standard English, during the twentieth century a vowel shift occurred in regions of England, with the shortening of the first vowel. This pronunciation is now used throughout the UK and most Commonwealth nations. The long-vowel pronunciation remains standard in Canadian and American English and is used in the UK only by some older, conservative RP speakers. (unlikely diagnosis): Originates in the advice often given to medical students, "when you hear hoofbeats, think of horses, not zebras". (referee): In reference to the black and white striped shirts they wear. === Pronunciation === (Commonwealth) IPA(key): /ˈzɛb.ɹə/ Hyphenation: zeb‧ra Rhymes: -ɛbɹə (Canada, US, and traditionally UK) IPA(key): /ˈziː.bɹə/, (South Asia) /ˈziːb.rɑː/ Hyphenation: ze‧bra === Noun === zebra (plural zebra or zebras) Any of three species of subgenus Hippotigris: Equus grevyi, Equus quagga, or Equus zebra, all with black and white stripes and native to Africa. (sports, slang) A referee. (medicine, slang) An unlikely diagnosis, especially for symptoms probably caused by a common ailment. (medicine, by extension) Someone who has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome or hypermobility spectrum disorder (derogatory, slang, ethnic slur) A biracial person, specifically one born to a Sub-Saharan African person and a white person. (informal) A zebra cichlid (Amatitlania nigrofasciata). Any of various papilionid butterflies of the subgenus Paranticopsis of the genus Graphium, having black and white markings. A zebra crossing. (chess) A fairy chess piece that is moved three squares in one direction and two at right angles to that direction in a single move, leaping over any intervening pieces. ==== Usage notes ==== (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. ==== Hyponyms ==== (animal of genus Equus): Burchell's zebra, Grevy's zebra, quagga, plains zebra, mountain zebra (unlikely diagnosis): fascinoma ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === See also === quagga Equus burchelli, Equus grevyi, Equus quagga, Equus zebra === References === === Anagrams === Zaber, braze == Basque == === Etymology === Borrowed from Spanish cebra. === Pronunciation === Rhymes: -ebra, -a Hyphenation: ze‧bra === Noun === zebra anim zebra ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “zebra”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language] “zebra”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005 == Catalan == === Etymology === Inherited from Old Catalan atzebra, from Old Galician-Portuguese *ezevra, *ezevro. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (Northern) [ˈze̞.βɾə] IPA(key): (Balearic) [ˈze.bɾə] IPA(key): (Central) [ˈze.βɾə] IPA(key): (Valencia) [ˈze.bɾa] IPA(key): (Northwestern) [ˈze.βɾa] === Noun === zebra f (plural zebres) zebra ==== Derived terms ==== peix zebra zebrat === Further reading === “zebra”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007 == Cebuano == === Etymology === Borrowed from English zebra, from Italian zebra, from Portuguese zebra, zebro (“zebra”), from Old Galician-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 === zebra 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 a pattern or motif similar to the stripes of a zebra (informal) an animal with zebra-like stripes == Corsican == === Etymology === From Portuguese zebra (“wild horse”), from zebro, from Old Galician-Portuguese zevro, from *ezevro, from Vulgar Latin *eciferus, from Latin *equiferus, from equus (“horse”) + ferus (“wild”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈzɛbra/ === Noun === zebra f (plural zebre) alternative form of zebru ==== References ==== https://infcor.adecec.net/ == Crimean Tatar == === Etymology === Probably from Russian зебра (zebra), from Italian zebra === Noun === zebra zebra Synonym: qaşqalı at ==== Declension ==== === References === “zebra”, in Luğatçıq (in Russian) == Czech == === Etymology === Derived from Portuguese zebra. First attested in the 19th century. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [ˈzɛbra] === Noun === zebra f zebra ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “zebra”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957 “zebra”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989 “zebra”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2026 == Danish == === Noun === zebra c (singular definite zebraen, plural indefinite zebraer) zebra ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== zebrafinke c (“zebra finch”) == Dutch == === Etymology === Borrowed from Portuguese zebra, from Old Galician-Portuguese enzebro, ezebra, azebra (“wild ass”), from earlier cebrario (882), ezebrario (897), from Vulgar Latin *eciferus, from Latin equiferus (“wild horse”). The second sense is a shortening of zebrapad. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈzeː.braː/ Hyphenation: ze‧bra === Noun === zebra m (plural zebra's, diminutive zebraatje n) a zebra, a black-and-white striped equid of the genus Equus: Equus zebra, Equus quagga or Equus grevyi [from late 16th c.] Hyponyms: bergzebra, Grévyzebra, steppezebra a zebra crossing, a pedestrian crossing [from mid 1950s.] Synonym: zebrapad Hypernym: oversteekplaats ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === zebra on the Dutch Wikipedia.Wikipedia nl == Esperanto == === Etymology === From zebro (“zebra”) + -a. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈzebra/ Rhymes: -ebra Syllabification: ze‧bra === Adjective === zebra (accusative singular zebran, plural zebraj, accusative plural zebrajn) zebrine, hippotigrine ==== Hypernyms ==== ekveda (“equid”) == Hungarian == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [ˈzɛbrɒ] Hyphenation: zeb‧ra Rhymes: -rɒ === Noun === zebra (plural zebrák) (biology) zebra (animal) (road transport) pedestrian crossing, crosswalk, zebra crossing Synonyms: gyalogátkelőhely, gyalogos-átkelőhely, gyalogátkelő ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== (Compound words): zebrapinty === Further reading === zebra in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN. == Indonesian == === Etymology === Borrowed from Dutch zebra. === Pronunciation === (Standard Indonesian) IPA(key): /ˈzebra/ [ˈze.bra] Rhymes: -ebra Syllabification: ze‧bra === Noun === zébra (plural zebra-zebra) zebra (any of three species of subgenus Hippotigris of genus Equus) (colloquial) zebra crossing (pedestrian crossing featuring broad white stripes) Synonym: jalan zebra ==== Compounds ==== == Italian == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): */ˈd͡zɛ.bra/ Rhymes: -ɛbra Hyphenation: zè‧bra === Noun === zebra f (plural zebre) zebra (in the plural, informal) zebra crossing/crosswalk == Kashubian == === Etymology === Borrowed from Polish zebra. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈzɛ.bra/ Rhymes: -ɛbra Syllabification: ze‧bra === Noun === zebra f zebra (striped mammal of the genus Equus) === References === Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011), “zebra”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi‎[5] == Ladin == === Noun === zebra f (plural zebres) zebra == Latin == === Pronunciation === (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [ˈzɛ.bra] (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [ˈd͡zɛː.bra] === Noun === zebra f (genitive zebrae); first declension (New Latin) zebra (Equus zebra) ==== Declension ==== First-declension noun. == Latvian == === Etymology === 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 === IPA(key): /ˈzɛbra/ === Noun === zebra f (4th declension) zebra (esp. Equus zebra) ==== Declension ==== == Polish == === Etymology === Borrowed from French zèbre. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈzɛ.bra/ Rhymes: -ɛbra Syllabification: ze‧bra === Noun === zebra f zebra (any equid of the subgenus Hippotigris) (colloquial) crosswalk, pedestrian crossing, zebra crossing (pedestrian crossing featuring broad white stripes) Synonyms: pasy, przejście dla pieszych black and white striped pattern ==== Declension ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== → Kashubian: zebra === Further reading === “zebra”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎[6] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN “zebra”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎[7] (in Polish) zebry in PWN's encyclopedia == Portuguese == === Etymology 1 === From zebro, from Old Galician-Portuguese zevro (“European wild ass”), from Vulgar Latin *eciferus, from Latin equiferus (“wild horse”), from equus (“horse”) + ferus (“wild”). Compare Spanish cebra. Senses 2 and 3 of the word comes from the popular Brazilian betting game jogo do bicho, in which the animal is absent, therefore it is unlikely that a zebra will be drawn. ==== Pronunciation ==== Hyphenation: ze‧bra ==== Noun ==== zebra f (plural zebras) zebra (Brazil, slang) A victorious competitor initially thought unlikely to win, especially in sports; an underdog Synonym: azarão (Brazil, slang) an unexpected result in a competition (Brazil, derogatory) idiot, stupid person Synonym: burro (Brazil, informal) prison uniform (Portugal, informal) zebra crossing (Portugal, informal) vice, a bad habit (Beira) a type of lanky spinning top (motor racing) curb (line of flat curbstones on the corners of racing tracks) zebra pattern (obsolete) cow ===== Usage notes ===== The gender of this Portuguese zoonym is always feminine: when the gender of the being itself must be specified, zebra-macho for male and zebra-fêmea for female. Here, macho is treated as an undeclinable noun and doesn't necessarily need to agree in gender with the referent, but would change to macha if so. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== ===== Descendants ===== → German: Zebra→ Hunsrik: Zebra → Italian: zebra → English: zebra → Turkish: zebra → New Latin: zebra === Etymology 2 === See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. ==== Pronunciation ==== Hyphenation: ze‧bra ==== Verb ==== zebra inflection of zebrar: third-person singular present indicative second-person singular imperative === Further reading === “zebra”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “zebra” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913 “zebra”, in Dicio – Dicionário Online de Português (in Portuguese), São Paulo: 7Graus, 2009–2026 “zebra”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026 “zebra”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN “zebra”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Serbo-Croatian == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /zêbra/ === Noun === zȅbra f (Cyrillic spelling зе̏бра) zebra ==== Declension ==== == Slovene == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /zèːbra/, /zéːbra/ === Noun === zẹ̄bra f zebra ==== Declension ==== === Further reading === “zebra”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2026 == Spanish == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈtsebɾa/ [ˈt̪se.β̞ɾa] Rhymes: -ebɾa === Noun === zebra f (plural zebras) obsolete spelling of cebra === Further reading === “zebra”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025 == Swedish == === Alternative forms === sebra === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /²seːbra/ === Noun === zebra c zebra ==== Declension ==== === References === “zebra”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish) “zebra”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish) “zebra”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish) == Turkish == === Etymology === Borrowed from Italian zebra, from Italian zebra, from Portuguese zebra, from Old Galician-Portuguese ezebra (“wild horse”), from Vulgar Latin *eciferus, from Latin equiferus (“wild horse”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [ˈzeb.ɾɑ] Hyphenation: zeb‧ra === Noun === zebra (definite accusative zebrayı, plural zebralar) zebra ==== Declension ====