ze

• IPA^(key): /ziː/, /zʌ/
• (unstressed) IPA^(key): /zə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iː, -ʌ

ze

1. Nonstandard spelling of the, usually signifying a foreign accent, often French or German.

   Synonym: za

   • 1992, Tristan Jones, Adrift, page 257:

     Then one French-American sous-chef, still in his white kitchen gear, climbed down from the cockpit, where he had been inspecting the cabin, peering inside, murmuring, "wonderfool–wonderfool, ze workmansheep!"

   • 2000 July 8, J. K. Rowling [pseudonym; Joanne Rowling], “The Yule Ball”, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter; 4), London: Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 364:

     At ze Palace of Beauxbatons, we ’ave ice sculptures all around ze Dining Chamber at Chreetsmas. Zey do not melt, of course … zey are like ’uge statues of diamond, glittering around ze place.

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /ziː/
• Rhymes: -iː

ze

1. (rare, nonstandard) a gender-neutral third-person singular subject pronoun, equivalent to singular they, and coordinate with gendered pronouns he and she.
   • 1996 June, Caitlin Sullivan with Bornstein, Kate, Nearly Roadkill: an Infobahn erotic adventure‎^[1], New York: Serpent's Tail, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OL, LCC PS3569.U3449 N43 1996, page 10:

     But I do know what sex ze is. It used to influence me. But now I talk to hir like a normal person. I mean, without thinking about what ze is.

   • 1997 December 18, Kate Bornstein, My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man, a Real Woman, the Real You, or Something Else Entirely, London, New York: Routledge, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OL, LCC HQ1075.B69 1998, page 130:

     A case in point is Tula, a transgendered woman who for years lived well as a model and actress until ze was outed in both national and international media.

   • 2006 March 22, Leslie Feinberg, Drag King Dreams, New York: Carroll & Graf, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OL, LCC PS3556.E427 D73 2006, page 205:

     Ze takes my right hand in hirs and folds it into a fist.

   • 2010 October 12, Erika Lopez, The Girl Must Die: A Monster Girl Memoir, Hicken, Jeffrey, San Francisco: Monster Girl Media, →ISBN, →LCCN, page 143:

     Ze changed hir name to one of those New Testament names, and re-fashioned hirself into a soft, puffy, half-finished hermaphrodite nicknamed, The Pop n' Fresh Doe.

   • 2011 March 15, M. J. Locke, Up Against It, New York: Tor, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OL, LCC PS3612.O249 U7 2011, page 361:

     Hir face was implacable, but ze dashed away in tears.

• The genderqueer community is the primary proponent of ze. One refers to a person with ze and hir or zir typically (a) when their gender is unknown, and one wishes to avoid assuming their gender, or (b) when they are neither male nor female in gender, making he and she (and also either/or terms like s/he or (s)he) inappropriate and potentially hurtful.

• see Appendix:English third-person singular pronouns

• hir, hirs, hirself
• zir, zirs, zirself

• other attested gender-neutral pronouns

ze (plural zes)

1. The name of the Cyrillic script letter З / з.

• EZ, Ez.

A Gheg dialect word, of unclear origin.

ze f (plural ze, definite zeja, definite plural zejet)

1. soul

• zemër

From Dutch zee (“sea”).

ze

1. the sea, the ocean

• Aukan-English Dictionary (SIL)

• IPA^(key): [zeː]

ze

1. The name of the Latin script letter Z/z.

• (Latin-script letter names) hərf; a, be, ce, çe, de, e, ə, fe, ge, ğe, he / haş, xe / iks, ı, i, je, ke / ka, qe / kü, el, em, en, o, ö, pe, er, se, şe, te, u, ü, ve, ye / iqrek, ze / zet

• Rhymes: -e
• Hyphenation: ze

Borrowed from Spanish ce.

ze inan

1. The name of the Latin script letter C/c.

• (Latin-script letter names) a, be, ze, de, e, efe, ge, hatxe, i, jota, ka, ele, eme, ene, eñe, o, pe, ku, erre, ese, te, u, uve, uve bikoitz, ixa, i greko, zeta

ze

1. (Biscayan) because

   Synonyms: zergatik, zeren

   • 1596, Joseba Lakarra, editor, Refranes y sentencias [Sayings and sentences] (Euskararen Lekukoak; 19)‎^[2], Bilbao: Eusklatzaindia, published 1996, →ISBN, page 248:

     Adi adi ce Jaungoycoa dagoc adi.

     [Adi adi, ze Jaungoikoa dagok adi.]

     Be careful, because God is watching.

2. (obsolete) than
   • 1596, Joseba Lakarra, editor, Refranes y sentencias [Sayings and sentences] (Euskararen Lekukoak; 19)‎^[3], Bilbao: Eusklatzaindia, published 1996, →ISBN, page 262:

     Nayago dot to bat, çe amaui emon deyat.

     [Naiago dot to bat, ze amabi emon deiat.]

     I prefer a "take one" over twelve "I'll give you one".

3. (Biscayan, Gipuzkoan) Introduces a subordinate clause expressing a result, consequence or effect; that

   Synonym: ezen

   • c. 1567, Joan Perez de Lazarraga, “Doncellachoa, orain çaoz...”, in Lazarraga Eskuizkribuaren edizioa eta azterketa. II. Testua, EHU Press, published 2020, →ISBN:

     Ala çara mudaduco, ce / ez çau inorc eçautuco

     [Ala zara mudaduko, ze / ez zau inork ezautuko]

     You'll change so much that / nobody will recognize you

4. (archaic, possibly obsolete) Introduces a clause that is the subject or object of a verb; that

ze (preposed, interrogative)

1. colloquial form of zer (“what”)

ze (interrogative)

1. colloquial form of zer (“what”)

• “ze”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]
• “ze”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005

Central Nahuatl cardinal numbers

<  0	1	2  >
Cardinal : ze     Ordinal : inik ze

Cognate to Classical Nahuatl ce

ze

1. one.

From Middle High German si(e) (“they”), merged from Old High German sie m pl, sio f pl, siu n pl, from Proto-Germanic *īz m, *ijôz f, *ijō n, the nominative plural forms of *iz. Cognate with German sie, Dutch zij.

ze

1. (Sette Comuni) they

   Synonym: zandare

• se (Luserna)
• zòi

ze

1. alternative form of zi (“she”)

• “ze” in Martalar, Umberto Martello; Bellotto, Alfonso (1974), Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo

• IPA^(key): [ˈzɛ]

• Audio:

  (file)

ze [with genitive]

1. alternative form of z (“from, out of”)

• The more usual form is z, while ze is used before words starting with s, z and certain consonant clusters.

• “ze”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “ze”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

• IPA^(key): /zə/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ze
• Rhymes: -ə

ze

1. unstressed form of zij (“she”) (feminine singular subject)

   Daar zit ze. ― There she is sitting.

2. unstressed form of zij (“they”) (plural subject)

   Daar zitten ze. ― There they are sitting.

3. unstressed form of haar (“her”) (feminine singular object)

   Ik zie ze. ― I see her.

4. unstressed form of hen and hun (“them”) (plural object)

   Ik zie ze. ― I see them.

• In the Netherlands, ze is used as a reduced form of haar chiefly when referring to feminine inanimate things:

Ik wist de waarheid niet en ik wilde ze ook niet weten.

I didn’t know the truth and didn’t wish to know it either.

It is often avoided by using the reduced form h'r or the masculine form hem or the neuter form het or, in formal style, the full form haar.

• In Belgium, ze is usual as a reduced form of haar even when referring to persons (as in the example further above).
• Certain short and idiomatic phrases consisting of a verb in the imperative + ze are commonly used to wish good luck and/or enjoyment in a certain activity, for example:

werk ze! ― good luck at work!

speel ze! ― enjoy playing!

slaap ze! ― have a good sleep!

• werk ze

• Javindo: se
• Jersey Dutch: zê, sê

• IPA^(key): /zé/

zé

1. to take

From French œufs (“eggs”). In French, the plural form œufs is commonly preceded by a determiner- such as aux, les or mes- whose final s or x is pronounced /z/ before vowels (and is otherwise silent). As a result, œufs was reanalyzed in Haitian Creole as beginning with /z/.

• IPA^(key): /ze/

ze

1. egg

From z +‎ -e.

• IPA^(key): /ze/, /zɛ/

ze (plural ze-i)

1. The name of the Latin script letter Z/z.

• Latin script letter names: literi: a · be · ce · che · de · e · fe · ge · he · i · je · ke · le · me · ne · o · pe · que · re · se · she · te · u · ve · we · xe · ye · ze ^[edit]

ze

1. The hiragana syllable ぜ (ze) or the katakana syllable ゼ (ze) in Hepburn romanization.

From Sudanese Arabic زي (zay), probably from Arabic زِيّ (ziyy, “clothing, way of dressing, appearance”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈze/, [ˈze]

ze

1. like, as
   • (Can we date this quote?), “Halawa”, performed by Dynamq, River Nile Entertainment:

     banaat mutu ashan umon ma ze ita

     Girls die because they’re not like you

• Ian Smith; Morris Timothy Ama (1985), A Dictionary of Juba Arabic & English‎^[4], 1st edition, Juba: The Committee of The Juba Cheshire Home and Centre for Handicapped Children, page 181

• IPA^(key): /ˈzɛ/
• Rhymes: -ɛ
• Syllabification: ze

ze

1. alternative form of z

• IPA^(key): /zɛ/

ze

1. alternative form of z (both meanings; used before sibilants and certain consonant clusters)

   Stej bratš ze sotšu. ― They are brother and sister (literally, “brother with sister”)

• zu (for the adverb, when stressed)

From Middle High German ze, from Old High German zi, from Proto-Germanic *ta, reduced form of *tō, whence Luxembourgish zu and zou.

• IPA^(key): /tse/, [t͡sə]

• Audio:

  (file)

ze

1. to (with a following infinitive)

   De Kaffi ass ze waarm fir ze drénken.

   The coffee is too hot to drink.

ze

1. too (more than enough, when unstressed)

   De Kaffi ass ze waarm fir ze drénken.

   The coffee is too hot to drink.

ze

1. nonstandard spelling of zē
2. nonstandard spelling of zé
3. nonstandard spelling of zè
4. nonstandard spelling of zê̄

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

From Old English sǣ.

ze

1. alternative form of see (“sea”)

• English: sea

ze (+ dative)

1. alternative form of zuo

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *rəj.

• IPA^(key): /tsə/

ze

1. water

Zhou Facheng; Sun Hongkai (2010), 汉羌词典 [Chinese–Qiang dictionary]‎^[5], Beijing: 中国文联出版社, →ISBN

• IPA^(key): (13^th CE) /ˈzɛ/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /ˈzɛ/

ze

1. alternative form of z

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /zɛ/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /zɛ/

ze

1. alternative form of z

Inherited from Old Polish z, from Proto-Slavic *jьz.

• IPA^(key): /ˈzɛ/

• Audio 1:

  (file)

• Audio 2:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛ
• Syllabification: ze
• Homophone: ze-

ze

1. alternative form of z

ze

1. (colloquial) alternative form of z

See z.

• ze in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• ze in Polish dictionaries at PWN

From Old Frisian [Term?], from Proto-West Germanic *sī. Cognates include West Frisian sy and German sie.

• IPA^(key): /zə/

ze

1. unstressed form of ju (“she”)
2. unstressed form of jo (“they”)

• Marron C. Fort (2015), “ze”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN

• IPA^(key): /ˈzɛ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛ
• Syllabification: ze

ze

1. alternative form of z

ze (definite accusative zeyi, plural zeler)

1. The name of the Latin script letter Z/z.

• (Latin-script letter names) harf; a, be, ce, çe, de, e, fe, ge, yumuşak ge, he, ı, i, je, ke, le, me, ne, o, ö, pe, re, se, şe, te, u, ü, ve, ye, ze

From Arabic زَاي (zāy).

ze

1. Letter of the Arabic alphabet: ز

ze (definite accusative [please provide], plural [please provide])

1. The name of the Latin script letter Z/z.

• IPA^(key): /ʐe˧/

ze

1. near, close by, around

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

-ze^?

1. naked

   Synonym: -ntswempu

ze

1. alternative form of zee (“to see”)

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 81

ze

1. same

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

IPA^(key): /zé/

-zé

1. empty
2. naked

• ize
• ubuze

From -za (“to come”).

IPA^(key): /ze/

-ze

1. (auxiliary, in positive) until [with subjunctive]

   Sizolinda baze bafike.

   We will wait until they arrive.

   Sakhuluma waze wafika uthisha.

   We talked until the teacher arrived.

2. (auxiliary, in positive, past) used in exclamations [with subjunctive clause]

   Waze wamuhle umakoti!

   Oh how beautiful the bride is!

3. (auxiliary, in negative, present) never [with potential]

   Angize ngingadla inyama.

   I never eat meat.

4. (auxiliary, in negative, past) never [with subjunctive]

   Akazange agibele ihhashi.

   He has never ridden a horse.

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

C. M. Doke; B. W. Vilakazi (1972), “-ze”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “-ze”