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zephyr

[zef-er]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR zephyr ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a gentle, mild breeze.

(initial capital letter) Literary. the west wind.

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

Origin of zephyr

before 1000 for def 2; Middle English < Latin zephyrus < Greek zéphyros the west wind; replacing Middle English zeferus, zephirus, Old English zefferus < Latin as above

Synonyms for zephyr

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR zephyr ON THESAURUS.COM

1. See wind¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for zephyr

gust, air, gale, breeze, cyclone, blast, sigh, smell, whiff, current, breath, wind, blow, whisk, flutter, flurry, draft, typhoon, puff, tempest

Examples from the Web for zephyr

Contemporary Examples of zephyr

Scholar-activists Larry Lessig and Zephyr Teachout have recently been working to revive it.
Undo Citizens United? We’d Only Scratch the Surface
Jedediah Purdy
November 12, 2014
Meanwhile, in a closely watched contest in New York, Andrew Cuomo easily defeated liberal law professor Zephyr Teachout.
Populists Go Down in Battle for the Soul of the Democratic Party
David Freedlander
September 10, 2014
Zephyr Teachout clocked the governor Tuesday in big, progressive stretches of New York, taking 35 percent of the primary vote.
Andrew Cuomo Can't Ignore It Now: He's Weak Even at Home
David Freedlander
September 10, 2014
Zephyr Teachout lives in a fifth-floor walkup in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
Can New York Democrat Zephyr Teachout Stop Governor Andrew Cuomo?
David Freedlander
August 18, 2014
And Zephyr Teachout is going to be a big part of it, as well.
Can New York Democrat Zephyr Teachout Stop Governor Andrew Cuomo?
David Freedlander
August 18, 2014

Historical Examples of zephyr

Here no zephyr of the sea Wipes the tears from skies that fill.
Enamels and Cameos and other Poems
Thophile Gautier
Then the wind blew in a changed spirit, and died away to a zephyr.
A Pair of Blue Eyes
Thomas Hardy
From the zephyr to the tempest, the whole scale is equally at his command.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great - Volume 14
Elbert Hubbard
The rustle of His wing is in every zephyr; its might is in every tempest.
Gov. Bob. Taylor's Tales
Robert L. Taylor
This last drawing reduces the roll to about the thickness of zephyr yarn.
Textiles
William H. Dooley

British Dictionary definitions for zephyr

zephyr

noun

a soft or gentle breeze

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

Word Origin for zephyr

C16: from Latin zephyrus, from Greek zephuros the west wind; probably related to Greek zophos darkness, west

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

Word Origin and History for zephyr

n.

mid-14c., from Old English Zefferus, from Latin Zephyrus, from Greek Zephyros "the west wind" (sometimes personified as a god), probably related to zophos "the west, the dark region, darkness, gloom." Sense of "mild breeze" is c.1600.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

zephyr in Culture

Zephyr

[(zef-uhr)]

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

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.