Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAny of three species of subgenus Hippotigris: Equus grevyi, Equus quagga, or Equus zebra, all with black and white stripes and native to Africa.
nounA referee.
Sentence Examples
When you hear hoofbeats behind you, don't expect to see a zebra.
He's like a zebra among the horses.
You will never brush against a zebra crossing a zebra crossing.
CEFR Practice Quiz
At the safari, we saw a ____ with its distinctive black and white stripes.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We were lucky to see a beautiful ____ during our safari trip to the African savannah last year today.
Word Origin & History
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 and is used in the UK only by some older, conservative RP speakers.
(unlikely diagnosis): Originates in the advice often given to medical students, "when you hear hoofbeats, think of horses, not zebras".
(referee): In reference to the black and white striped shirts they wear.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"A group of zebras can be called a dazzle."
— 2019 June 6, “A gaggle, a confusion and a conspiracy - bizarre animal collective group names”, in BBC:
""It's a zebra! George. OK, I should explain. A zebra is..."
"Medical slang for coming to an exotic diagnosis when a more simple explanation is more likely."
"That's right. I was convinced that George, given his age and symptoms, had some kind of cardiac issue. It fit, it made sense. Because I was looking for the obvious when I should have been looking for the zebra! George is just having an allergic reaction to a combination of chemicals from all the stains and paints he's been using in the garage.""
— 2005 March 7, “Apologies and Rememberances”, in Good Witch, season 1, episode 2 (TV), spoken by Dr. Sam Radford and Cassie Nightingale (James Denton and Catherine Bell), via Hallmark:
"EDS charities around the world use a zebra logo to promote the idea that sometimes it really is that ‘rare’ condition."
— 2020, Pharmaceutical Technology:
"“I was told in medical school, ‘when you hear hoofbeats think horses, not zebras,’” she says. Many trainee doctors receive the same advice – when a patient presents with symptoms, “look for the common thing.” That’s why EDS patients commonly refer to themselves as zebras – and also use the fabulous collective noun “dazzle.” The name represents rarity and evokes the stripy stretch marks that are a common feature on EDS skin."
— 2022 December 24, CNN:
"“People change countries for all kinds of reasons,” Ross tells me. “But at least one of them was that she had this light-skinned, mixed-race child who had already been called a zebra at school.”"
— 2021 April 10, Alex Clark, “‘I’m 51, I can say what I want’: Leone Ross has overcome her fears”, in The Guardian: