zeal
[ zeel ]
/ zil /
||
noun
fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic diligence; ardor.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
perseverance, eagerness, zest, diligence, earnestness, ardor, gusto, warmth, intensity, determination, urgency, fervor, verve, sincerity, passion, fanaticism, spirit, devotion, inclination, readiness
Nearby words
Origin of zeal
1350–1400; Middle English zele < Late Latin zēlus < Greek zêlos
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for zeals
These two zeals are alike in externals, but altogether unlike in internals, 363.
The Delights of Wisdom Pertaining to Conjugial Love|Emanuel SwedenborgYes, zeal without knowledge, I said—like most other zeals—if there were no objections that struck him at once, there were none.
Clarissa, Volume 4 (of 9)|Samuel RichardsonLacius wishes that Timon would give him and the rest an opportunity of expressing some part of their zeals.
Notes to Shakespeare, Volume III: The Tragedies|Samuel Johnson
zeal
/ (ziːl) /
noun
fervent or enthusiastic devotion, often extreme or fanatical in nature, as to a religious movement, political cause, ideal, or aspiration
Word Origin for zeal
C14: from Late Latin zēlus, from Greek zēlos
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
zeal
late 14c., from Late Latin zelus "zeal, emulation" (source of Old French zel, Italian zelo, Spanish celo), a Church word, from Greek zelos "zeal, ardor, jealousy," which is of uncertain origin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper