Wordwyrt

zeal

/ˈzil/ZEEL
/ˈzil/ZEEL

Meaningardour

Common meaning: eager devotion to a cause

Journey through time

  1. Aryan root · reconstructed√YAS‘ferment, seethe’No written record; from Skeat’s list of Aryan roots, no. 283, p. 740 · scan
  2. Greekζῆλος‘fervent emulation’
  3. Latinzelum
  4. Frenchzele
  5. Englishmeaning shiftsfervent emulation → eager devotion to a causezeal‘eager devotion to a cause’ · today

zeal also in: zealousjealous

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Greek ζῆλος ‘fervent emulation; ardour’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), entry ζῆλος, p. 343 · dictionary scan; Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry JEALOUS, p. 306 · dictionary scan

Roots

Related words

jealouszealous

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