Question 1 · Quick check
zebra
CEFRA1
/ˈzɛbɹə/
noun
Türkçe translations
Translating…
In plain English
- 01
noun
An African animal like a horse with black and white stripes.
- 02
noun
Extra detailA referee.
Examples
He's like a zebra among the horses.
When you hear hoofbeats behind you, don't expect to see a zebra.
At a glance
Sits at A1 on the CEFR scale
- Senses
- 5
- Parts of speech
- 1
- Citations
- 5
Also pronounced
- /ˈziːbɹə/
- /ˈzibrɑ/
Deep Dive
noun
Extra meaningsAn unlikely diagnosis, especially for symptoms probably caused by a common ailment.
Any of three species of subgenus Hippotigris: Equus grevyi, Equus quagga, or Equus zebra, all with black and white stripes and native to Africa.
Someone who has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome or hypermobility spectrum disorder
More examples
In contextYou will never brush against a zebra crossing a zebra crossing.
A group of zebras can be called a dazzle.
EDS charities around the world use a zebra logo to promote the idea that sometimes it really is that ‘rare’ condition.
Quick test
Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.
Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.
Nearby
Origin
noun
First attested in 1600. Borrowed from Italian zebra, from Portuguese zebra, zebro (“zebra”), from Old Galician-Portuguese enzebro, ezebra, azebra (“wild ass”), from earlier cebrario (882), ezebrario (897), from Vulgar Latin *eciferus, from Latin equiferus (“wild horse”) (Pliny), from equus (“horse”) + ferus (“wild”). While the word was traditionally pronounced with a long vowel in the first syllable in standard English, during the twentieth century a vowel shift occurred in regions of England, with the shortening of the first vowel. This pronunciation is now used throughout the UK and most Commonwealth nations. The long-vowel pronunciation remains standard in Canadian and American English a...