za

[ zah ]

/ zɑ /

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noun Slang.

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Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

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Origin of za

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70; by shortening and alteration

Other definitions for za (2 of 3)

zā

[ zah ]

/ zɑ /

noun

the 11th letter of the Arabic alphabet.

Origin of zā

<Arabic zā(y)

Other definitions for za (3 of 3)

ẓā

[ zah ]

/ zɑ /

noun

the 17th letter of the Arabic alphabet.

Origin of ẓā

From Arabic

How to use za in a sentence

That was what improved my game, being able to play xu and za.
Well, La Ti Da: Stephin Merritt’s Winning Little Words of Scrabble|David Bukszpan|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Each word, from aa to za, gets its own two-page spread with a poem and a pic.
Well, La Ti Da: Stephin Merritt’s Winning Little Words of Scrabble|David Bukszpan|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Do you know the Spanish word sinverguenza (seen-ver-gwen-za)?
Carnival of the Shameless|Christopher Buckley|January 4, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Mz-za, the Iron; St. Peters; a brave of distinction, and a very handsome fellow.
Adventures of the Ojibbeway and Ioway Indians in England, France, and Belgium; Vol. I (of 2)|George Catlin

Amongst the products of this place I saw a very remarkable fruit, called by the Arabs Za-cho-ne.
Early Travels in Palestine|Arculf et al.
The defining pronoun za-e here compels us to take me-en in the second person.
Sumerian Hymns|Frederick Augustus Vanderburgh
Here, however, the za-da of the context shows mu to be second person (see on line 1).
Sumerian Hymns|Frederick Augustus Vanderburgh
We have had za-e as being equal to “thou” (Hymn to Bêl, line 16).
Sumerian Hymns|Frederick Augustus Vanderburgh

British Dictionary definitions for za (1 of 2)

the internet domain name for

South Africa

British Dictionary definitions for za (2 of 2)

abbreviation for

South Africa (international car registration)

Word Origin for ZA

from Afrikaans Zuid Afrika

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012