zest

American  

[zest] / zɛst /

noun

1. keen relish; hearty enjoyment; gusto.

2. an agreeable or piquant flavor imparted to something.

3. anything added to impart flavor, enhance one's appreciation, etc.

4. piquancy; interest; charm.

   Synonyms:

   tang, spice

5. liveliness or energy; animating spirit.

6. the peel, especially the thin outer peel, of a citrus fruit used for flavoring.

   lemon zest.

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verb (used with object)

1. to give zest, relish, or piquancy to.

zest British  

/ zɛst /

noun

1. invigorating or keen excitement or enjoyment

   a zest for living

2. added interest, flavour, or charm; piquancy

   her presence gave zest to the occasion

3. something added to give flavour or relish

4. the peel or skin of an orange or lemon, used as flavouring in drinks, etc

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verb

1. (tr) to give flavour, interest, or piquancy to

Other Word Forms

• zestful adjective
• zestfully adverb
• zestfulness noun
• zestless adjective
• zesty adjective

Etymology

Origin of zest

1665–75; < French zest (now zeste ) orange or lemon peel used for flavoring < ?

Example Sentences

The butter and cheese coat each strand in glossy, velvety richness, while lemon juice and zest cut through with a clean, almost electric acidity.

From Salon

I drizzled the berries with honey, added a fair amount of orange zest for brightness, tossed everything together and slid the tray into a hot oven.

From Salon

Stack ladyfingers with whole-berry cranberry sauce, vanilla pudding, and whipped cream flecked with a decidedly ungodly amount of orange zest.

From Salon

I used blood orange and lemon, scraping their zest and squeezing their juice into the batter, which is enriched with more than a half-cup of olive oil.

From The Wall Street Journal

It means “the joy of living,” and refers to the kind of cheerful, nonstop zest for life that stops just short of optoomuchism and makes a person a sheer pleasure to be around.

From Literature

Related Words

• flavoring
• ginger
• salt
• seasoning
• spice