zephyr
noun
a gentle, mild breeze.
zephyr
American
[zef-er]
/ ˈzɛf ər /
noun
-
zephyrs
plural
-
a gentle, mild breeze.
-
(initial capital letter) the west wind.
-
any of various things of fine, light quality, as fabric, yarn, etc.
zephyr
British
/ ˈzɛfə /
noun
-
a soft or gentle breeze
-
any of several delicate soft yarns, fabrics, or garments, usually of wool
Zephyr
Cultural
Synonym Usage
See wind 1.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of zephyr
First recorded before 1000 zephyr for def. 2; Middle English, from Latin zephyrus, from Greek zéphyros “the west wind”; replacing Middle English zeferus, zephirus, Old English zefferus, from Latin as above
Explanation
Besides being the name of Babar's monkey friend in the much-beloved picture books about the elephant Babar, a zephyr is a gentle breeze. In Greek mythology, Zephuros was the god of the west wind, and the bringer of light and early spring breezes. Zephyr derives from his name. That first day of spring, where suddenly you don't have to wear your jacket to school for the first time all winter? Thank the zephyr for that.
Vocabulary lists containing zephyr
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Indulge yourself with handcrafted, artisanal, small-batch chocolates, including yuzu pâte de fruit, sesame crunch, honey ganache and cinnamon zephyr ganache flavors.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 16, 2023
Needless to say, if you just want breeze through life, make the Zero Breeze* your personal zephyr TODAY!
From Golf Digest ● Jun. 27, 2017
“Arrival” Anthony Lane reviewed the movie: “What lingers from this alien encounter is neither the wizardry nor the climax but the zephyr of emotional intensity that blows through the film.”
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 24, 2017
The once-soft air is now an ever-sturdier wall; any gentle zephyr a gale, volatile and tricky.
From The Verge ● Feb. 9, 2016
In this place there is no ship but the sleek racing yacht sailing out of the bay, blown by a custom-made zephyr, sending it off to points even more exotic than this.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
Georgia Aquarium recently took in two male Marineland belugas, named Balor, 10, and Zephyr, 7.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Among the skeptics is Zephyr Teachout, an expert on tech policy at Fordham Law School.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
That uncertainty is by design, according to Zephyr Teachout, a Fordham University law professor.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 1, 2026
Riding Amtrak’s California Zephyr route, it turns out, is equal parts sightseeing extravaganza and endurance test.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
Once, long before we did what we did, I asked Zephyr to look out for Noah.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
If we had wind chimes, it would’ve been a Lollapalooza monsoon of surly zephyrs all the livelong night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025
It is made for the Gulf of Bothnia and the alleyways of Jokkmokk and the lethal zephyrs of Njörðr.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 25, 2018
And it distilled the myriad shifts and reversals that were wafting through the Beverly Hilton ballroom like encouraging zephyrs, with the dust not soon to settle.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 8, 2018
An astringent, earthy aroma infused the Pacific zephyrs wafting through the buskers, joggers, skateboarders, tourists and panhandlers.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 30, 2017
To Koos the fiery wind with its burthen of stinging sand was more grateful than the zephyrs of a springtime dawn.
From Between Sun and Sand A Tale of an African Desert by W. C. (William Charles) Scully
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