ze
Americanpronoun
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the person being discussed or last mentioned (used as a neopronoun in place of the gendered pronouns he andshe ).
My friend didn't want to go to the party, but ze got up and danced when hir favorite song came on!
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Rare. a generic or unspecified person previously mentioned, about to be mentioned, or present in the immediate context (used as a neopronoun).
If any employee has questions, ze should contact HR.
Gender
Gender-neutral pronouns were proposed as far back as the mid-1800s, especially in connection with progressive ideas about women’s rights. More recently, the coinage and use of ze and other gender-neutral pronouns has been motivated by discussions about gender identity. Some individuals, such as nonbinary, genderqueer, and gender-nonconforming people, feel uncomfortable being referred to as he or she. Even so, use of ze as a gender-neutral singular third-person pronoun is quite limited, partly because of a general resistance to replacing English pronouns. Pronouns belong to a small, closed class of words whose membership is relatively fixed. See also they.
Etymology
Origin of ze
First recorded in 1970–75; based on the German pronoun sie
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.
Ze'ev Orenstein, director of international affairs at the City of David, told Reuters: "All the archaeological excavations are carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority according to the highest standards."
From BBC
Ze’Ni Petterson finished with 17 points for Mitty.
From Los Angeles Times
"There was a lot of hype around when Vinicius made his debut, so it took him a bit of time to adapt to this new challenge and show what we all expected - but he did it," Ze Ricardo, his first Flamengo coach in senior football, remembered.
From BBC
The indigenous chief, Ze Bajaga, says that the majority of these fires are arson, set by people who “no longer want the wellbeing of humanity, or nature”.
From BBC
Though their plan goes sideways, Lao She and Judge Dee form a bond that carries them into the murder investigation of Ma Ze Ren, a Chinese national and shop owner who served with the Chinese Labour Corps in France during WWI.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
