zek
[ zek ]
/ zɛk /
Save This Word!
noun
(in the former U.S.S.R.) an inmate of a forced-labor camp.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!
Set some time apart to test your bracket symbol knowledge, and see if you can keep your parentheses, squares, curlies, and angles all straight!
Question 1 of 7
Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?
First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.
First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.
First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT Meet Grammar Coach
Improve Your Writing
Origin of zek
First recorded in 1965–70; from Russian zek “prisoner,” representing a vocalization of ze +ka (the letter names of z, k), probably an abbreviation of zaklyuchënnyi “prisoner”
Words nearby zek
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for zek
Zechstein, zek′stīn, n. a deposit of calcareous rock which covers the Kupfer-schiefer.
How does Hankins know that 'Zek'el's livin' creeters means one thing more'n another?
The End Of The World|Edward EgglestonNo, my beloved and respected feller-citizen of native birth, it's as plain to me as the wheels of 'Zek'el and the year 1843.
The End Of The World|Edward Eggleston