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• zephyr
  zephyr

  noun

  a gentle, mild breeze.
• Zephyr
  Zephyr

  The Greek and Roman god of the west wind, considered the most pleasant of the winds.

zephyr

American  

[zef-er] / ˈzɛf ər /

noun

• zephyrs
  plural

1. a gentle, mild breeze.

2. (initial capital letter) the west wind.

3. any of various things of fine, light quality, as fabric, yarn, etc.

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zephyr British  

/ ˈzɛfə /

noun

1. a soft or gentle breeze

2. any of several delicate soft yarns, fabrics, or garments, usually of wool

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Zephyr Cultural  

1. The Greek and Roman god of the west wind, considered the most pleasant of the winds.

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Synonym Usage

See wind ¹.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• zephyrs
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

zephyr Zephyr zephyrs

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

“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

Certainly, on a day when the ball had to be on the ground more than in the air, their shot-making limitations were savagely exposed by not much more than a zephyr.

From Golf Digest ● Oct. 16, 2013

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

Gnocchi is on a flea prevention plan, Zephyr wears an air tag and Nill’s pram gives Lana and Steve a safe enclosure.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

A version of this story originally appeared on Max Kutner’s Zephyr Letter substack.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

That uncertainty is by design, according to Zephyr Teachout, a Fordham University law professor.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 1, 2026

He’d already been on Amtrak’s Coast Starlight and Empire Builder and picked California Zephyr for his birthday trip with his parents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025

Franklyn saw Zephyr and me walking up the beach after.

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

Short and stout pattypan are as cute as buttons; slender, two-toned zephyrs look like their bottoms have been dipped in green dye; pale green chayote could be mistaken for pears at first glance.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 13, 2021

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

I shall fade away like a blossom that zephyrs waft from the tree before it can become fruit.

From Only a Girl: or, A Physician for the Soul. by Wilhelmine von Hillern

Related Words

• air
• blast
• breeze
• cyclone
• gale
• gust