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• zed
  zed

  noun

  the letter Z or z.
• Zed
  Zed

  noun

  a male given name, form of Zedekiah.

zed

¹ American  

[zed] / zɛd /

noun

Chiefly British.

1. the letter Z or z.

2. a Z-bar.

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Zed ² American  

[zed] / zɛd /

noun

1. a male given name, form of Zedekiah.

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zed British  

/ zɛd /

noun

1. US word: zee.  the British spoken form of the letter z

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Etymology

Origin of zed

1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French zede < Latin zēta < Greek zêta zeta

Explanation

In Britain, the last letter of the alphabet is known as zed. If your name is Lizzie, you spell it with two zeds. If you're from England, Canada, or New Zealand, the alphabet ends with zed, while in the U.S. it's pronounced zee. In most of the English-speaking world, comprehending a subject completely means understanding it from A to zed. Zed, from the Greek zēta, was originally one of many words for Z, which included izzard, uzzard, and zod. Americans may have chosen to use zee in the 1600s as a way of differentiating themselves from the British.

Example Sentences

With the door closed to live shows for the foreseeable future, musicians have had to get creative in reaching their fans, said ZED KENZO, a Milwaukee-based musician, writer and producer.

From Washington Times • May 18, 2020

For ZED KENZO, the experience has been somewhat different.

From Washington Times • May 18, 2020

Costing $2.99 a month for standard video and $9.99 a month for high-definition viewing, it will provide access to science and nature material from BBC Worldwide, Terra Noa, Japanese channel NHK and France’s ZED.

From Time • Jan. 15, 2015