ze

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ze"

Languages (33)

English

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Albanian • Aukan • Azerbaijani • Basque • Central Nahuatl • Cimbrian • Czech • Dutch • Gun • Haitian Creole • Ido • Japanese • Juba Arabic • Kashubian • Lower Sorbian • Luxembourgish • Mandarin • Middle English • Middle High German • Northern Qiang • Old Czech • Old Polish • Polish • Saterland Frisian • Silesian • Turkish • Turkmen • White Hmong • Xhosa • Yola • Zazaki • Zulu

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Page categories

English

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ziː/, /zʌ/
• (unstressed) IPA^(key): /zə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iː, -ʌ

Article

ze

1. Nonstandard spelling of the, usually signifying a foreign accent, often French or German.

   Synonym: za

   • 1992, Tristan Jones, Adrift, page 257:

     Then one French-American sous-chef, still in his white kitchen gear, climbed down from the cockpit, where he had been inspecting the cabin, peering inside, murmuring, "wonderfool–wonderfool, ze workmansheep!"

   • 2000 July 8, J. K. Rowling [pseudonym; Joanne Rowling], “The Yule Ball”, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter; 4), London: Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 364:

     At ze Palace of Beauxbatons, we ’ave ice sculptures all around ze Dining Chamber at Chreetsmas. Zey do not melt, of course … zey are like ’uge statues of diamond, glittering around ze place.

Etymology 2

Possibly from Dutch zij.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ziː/
• Rhymes: -iː

Pronoun

ze

1. (rare, nonstandard) a gender-neutral third-person singular subject pronoun, equivalent to singular they, and coordinate with gendered pronouns he and she.
   • 1996 June, Caitlin Sullivan with Bornstein, Kate, Nearly Roadkill: an Infobahn erotic adventure‎^[1], New York: Serpent's Tail, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OL, LCC PS3569.U3449 N43 1996, page 10:

     But I do know what sex ze is. It used to influence me. But now I talk to hir like a normal person. I mean, without thinking about what ze is.

   • 1997 December 18, Kate Bornstein, My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man, a Real Woman, the Real You, or Something Else Entirely, London, New York: Routledge, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OL, LCC HQ1075.B69 1998, page 130:

     A case in point is Tula, a transgendered woman who for years lived well as a model and actress until ze was outed in both national and international media.

   • 2006 March 22, Leslie Feinberg, Drag King Dreams, New York: Carroll & Graf, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OL, LCC PS3556.E427 D73 2006, page 205:

     Ze takes my right hand in hirs and folds it into a fist.

   • 2010 October 12, Erika Lopez, The Girl Must Die: A Monster Girl Memoir, Hicken, Jeffrey, San Francisco: Monster Girl Media, →ISBN, →LCCN, page 143:

     Ze changed hir name to one of those New Testament names, and re-fashioned hirself into a soft, puffy, half-finished hermaphrodite nicknamed, The Pop n' Fresh Doe.

   • 2011 March 15, M. J. Locke, Up Against It, New York: Tor, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OL, LCC PS3612.O249 U7 2011, page 361:

     Hir face was implacable, but ze dashed away in tears.

Usage notes

• The genderqueer community is the primary proponent of ze. One refers to a person with ze and hir or zir typically (a) when their gender is unknown, and one wishes to avoid assuming their gender, or (b) when they are neither male nor female in gender, making he and she (and also either/or terms like s/he or (s)he) inappropriate and potentially hurtful.

Synonyms

• see Appendix:English third-person singular pronouns

Coordinate terms

• hir, hirs, hirself
• zir, zirs, zirself

See also

• other attested gender-neutral pronouns

Etymology 3

Noun

ze (plural zes)

1. The name of the Cyrillic script letter З / з.

Anagrams

• EZ, Ez.

Albanian

Etymology

A Gheg dialect word, of unclear origin.

Noun

ze f (plural ze, definite zeja, definite plural zejet)

1. soul

Related terms

• zemër

Aukan

Etymology

From Dutch zee (“sea”).

Noun

ze

1. the sea, the ocean

References

• Aukan-English Dictionary (SIL)

Azerbaijani

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [zeː]

Noun

ze

1. The name of the Latin script letter Z/z.

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) hərf; a, be, ce, çe, de, e, ə, fe, ge, ğe, he / haş, xe / iks, ı, i, je, ke / ka, qe / kü, el, em, en, o, ö, pe, er, se, şe, te, u, ü, ve, ye / iqrek, ze / zet

Basque

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /s̻e/ [s̻e]

• IPA^(key): (most dialects) /s̻e/ [s̻e]
• IPA^(key): (Biscayan) /s̺e/ [s̺e]

• Rhymes: -e
• Hyphenation: ze

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Spanish ce.

Noun

ze inan

1. The name of the Latin script letter C/c.

Declension

Declension of ze (inan V-stem)

	indefinite	singular	plural	proximal plural
absolutive	ze	zea	zeak	zeok
ergative	zek	zeak	zeek	zeok
dative	zeri	zeari	zeei	zeoi
genitive	zeren	zearen	zeen	zeon
comitative	zerekin	zearekin	zeekin	zeokin
causative	zerengatik	zearengatik	zeengatik	zeongatik
benefactive	zerentzat	zearentzat	zeentzat	zeontzat
instrumental	zez	zeaz	zeez	zeotaz
inessive	zetan	zean	zeetan	zeotan
locative	zetako	zeko	zeetako	zeotako
allative	zetara	zera	zeetara	zeotara
terminative	zetaraino	zeraino	zeetaraino	zeotaraino
directive	zetarantz	zerantz	zeetarantz	zeotarantz
destinative	zetarako	zerako	zeetarako	zeotarako
ablative	zetatik	zetik	zeetatik	zeotatik
partitive	zerik	—	—	—
prolative	zetzat	—	—	—

Derived terms

• ze hautsi (“cee with cedilla”)

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) a, be, ze, de, e, efe, ge, hatxe, i, jota, ka, ele, eme, ene, eñe, o, pe, ku, erre, ese, te, u, uve, uve bikoitz, ixa, i greko, zeta

Etymology 2

Conjunction

ze

1. (Biscayan) because

   Synonyms: zergatik, zeren

   • 1596, Joseba Lakarra, editor, Refranes y sentencias [Sayings and sentences] (Euskararen Lekukoak; 19)‎^[2], Bilbao: Eusklatzaindia, published 1996, →ISBN, page 248:

     Adi adi ce Jaungoycoa dagoc adi.

     [Adi adi, ze Jaungoikoa dagok adi.]

     Be careful, because God is watching.

2. (obsolete) than
   • 1596, Joseba Lakarra, editor, Refranes y sentencias [Sayings and sentences] (Euskararen Lekukoak; 19)‎^[3], Bilbao: Eusklatzaindia, published 1996, →ISBN, page 262:

     Nayago dot to bat, çe amaui emon deyat.

     [Naiago dot to bat, ze amabi emon deiat.]

     I prefer a "take one" over twelve "I'll give you one".

3. (Biscayan, Gipuzkoan) Introduces a subordinate clause expressing a result, consequence or effect; that

   Synonym: ezen

   • c. 1567, Joan Perez de Lazarraga, “Doncellachoa, orain çaoz...”, in Lazarraga Eskuizkribuaren edizioa eta azterketa. II. Testua, EHU Press, published 2020, →ISBN:

     Ala çara mudaduco, ce / ez çau inorc eçautuco

     [Ala zara mudaduko, ze / ez zau inork ezautuko]

     You'll change so much that / nobody will recognize you

4. (archaic, possibly obsolete) Introduces a clause that is the subject or object of a verb; that

Etymology 3

Determiner

ze (preposed, interrogative)

1. colloquial form of zer (“what”)

Pronoun

ze (interrogative)

1. colloquial form of zer (“what”)

Further reading

• “ze”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]
• “ze”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005

Central Nahuatl

Central Nahuatl cardinal numbers

<  0	1	2  >
Cardinal : ze     Ordinal : inik ze

Etymology

Cognate to Classical Nahuatl ce

Numeral

ze

1. one.

Cimbrian

Etymology 1

From Middle High German si(e) (“they”), merged from Old High German sie m pl, sio f pl, siu n pl, from Proto-Germanic *īz m, *ijôz f, *ijō n, the nominative plural forms of *iz. Cognate with German sie, Dutch zij.

Pronoun

ze

1. (Sette Comuni) they

   Synonym: zandare

Inflection

Cimbrian personal pronouns

		nominative	accusative	dative
1st person singular		ich	mich	miar
2nd person singular	familiar	du	dich	diar
	polite	iart	ach	òich
3rd person singular	m	èar, ar	in, en	iime
	f	zi, ze		iar
	n	es, is	es, 's	iime
1st person plural		bar, bandare	zich	izàndarn
2nd person plural		iart, iartàndare, artàndare	òich, ach	ogàndarn
3rd person plural		ze, zòi, zandare	zich	innàndarn

Alternative forms

• se (Luserna)
• zòi

Etymology 2

Pronoun

ze

1. alternative form of zi (“she”)

References

• “ze” in Martalar, Umberto Martello; Bellotto, Alfonso (1974), Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈzɛ]

• Audio:

  (file)

Preposition

ze [with genitive]

1. alternative form of z (“from, out of”)

Usage notes

• The more usual form is z, while ze is used before words starting with s, z and certain consonant clusters.

Further reading

• “ze”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “ze”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zə/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ze
• Rhymes: -ə

Pronoun

ze

1. unstressed form of zij (“she”) (feminine singular subject)

   Daar zit ze. ― There she is sitting.

2. unstressed form of zij (“they”) (plural subject)

   Daar zitten ze. ― There they are sitting.

3. unstressed form of haar (“her”) (feminine singular object)

   Ik zie ze. ― I see her.

4. unstressed form of hen and hun (“them”) (plural object)

   Ik zie ze. ― I see them.

Usage notes

• In the Netherlands, ze is used as a reduced form of haar chiefly when referring to feminine inanimate things:

Ik wist de waarheid niet en ik wilde ze ook niet weten.

I didn’t know the truth and didn’t wish to know it either.

It is often avoided by using the reduced form h'r or the masculine form hem or the neuter form het or, in formal style, the full form haar.

• In Belgium, ze is usual as a reduced form of haar even when referring to persons (as in the example further above).
• Certain short and idiomatic phrases consisting of a verb in the imperative + ze are commonly used to wish good luck and/or enjoyment in a certain activity, for example:

werk ze! ― good luck at work!

speel ze! ― enjoy playing!

slaap ze! ― have a good sleep!

Declension

Dutch personal pronouns

	subject		object		possessive			reflexive	genitive5
singular	full	unstr.	full	unstr.	full	unstr.	pred.
1st person	ik	'k1	mij	me	mijn	m'n1	mijne	me	mijner, mijns
2nd person	jij	je	jou	je	jouw	je	jouwe	je	jouwer, jouws
2nd person archaic or regiolectal	gij	ge	u	–	uw	–	uwe	u	uwer, uws
2nd person formal	u	–	u	–	uw	–	uwe	u, zich7	uwer, uws
3rd person masculine	hij	ie1	hem	'm1	zijn	z'n1	zijne	zich	zijner, zijns
3rd person feminine	zij	ze	haar	h'r1, 'r1, d'r1	haar	h'r1, 'r1, d'r1	hare	zich	harer, haars
3rd person neuter	het	't1	het	't1	zijn	z'n1	zijne	zich	zijner, zijns
3rd person gender-neutral8	hen	–	hen	–	hun	–	hunne	zich	hunner, huns
plural	full	unstr.	full	unstr.	full	unstr.	pred.
1st person	wij	we	ons	–	ons, onze2	–	onze	ons	onzer, onzes
2nd person	jullie	je	jullie	je	jullie	je	–	je	–
2nd person archaic or regiolectal6	gij	ge	u	–	uw	–	uwe	u	uwer, uws
2nd person formal	u	–	u	–	uw	–	uwe	u, zich7	uwer, uws
3rd person	zij	ze	hen3, hun4	ze	hun	–	hunne	zich	hunner, huns

¹⁾ Not as common in written language.
²⁾ Inflected as an adjective.
³⁾ In prescriptivist use, used only as direct object (accusative).
⁴⁾ In prescriptivist use, used only as indirect object (dative).
⁵⁾ Archaic. Nowadays used for formal, literary or poetic purposes, and in fixed expressions.
⁶⁾ To differentiate from the singular gij, gelle (object form elle) and variants are commonly used colloquially in Belgium. Archaic forms are gijlieden and gijlui ("you people").
⁷⁾ Zich is preferred if the reflexive pronoun immediately follows the subject pronoun u, e.g. Meldt u zich aan! 'Log in!', and if the subject pronoun u is used with a verb form that is identical with the third person singular but different from the informal second person singular, e.g. U heeft zich aangemeld. 'You have logged in.' Only u can be used in an imperative if the subject pronoun is not overt, e.g. Meld u aan! 'Log in!', where u is the reflexive pronoun. Otherwise, both u and zich are equally possible, e.g. U meldt u/zich aan. 'You log in.'
⁸⁾ Not officially recognized in standard Dutch. It has gained popularity, especially in mainstream media and queer circles, as a respectful term for non-binary individuals.

Derived terms

• werk ze

Descendants

• Javindo: se
• Jersey Dutch: zê, sê

Gun

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zé/

Verb

zé

1. to take

Haitian Creole

Etymology

From French œufs (“eggs”). In French, the plural form œufs is commonly preceded by a determiner- such as aux, les or mes- whose final s or x is pronounced /z/ before vowels (and is otherwise silent). As a result, œufs was reanalyzed in Haitian Creole as beginning with /z/.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ze/

Noun

ze

1. egg

References

• Targète, Jean; Urciolo, Raphael (1993), Haitian Creole-English Dictionary‎^[4], Dunwoody Press, →ISBN, page 206

Ido

Etymology

From z +‎ -e.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ze/, /zɛ/

Noun

ze (plural ze-i)

1. The name of the Latin script letter Z/z.

See also

• Latin script letter names: literi: a · be · ce · che · de · e · fe · ge · he · i · je · ke · le · me · ne · o · pe · que · re · se · she · te · u · ve · we · xe · ye · ze ^[edit]

Japanese

Romanization

ze

1. The hiragana syllable ぜ (ze) or the katakana syllable ゼ (ze) in Hepburn romanization.

Juba Arabic

Etymology

Etymology tree

Arabic زِيّ (ziyy)?

Sudanese Arabic زي (zay)der.

Juba Arabic ze

Derived from Sudanese Arabic زي (zay), possibly from Arabic زِيّ (ziyy, “clothing, way of dressing, appearance”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈze/, [ˈze]

Preposition

ze

1. like, as
   • (Can we date this quote?), “Halawa”, performed by Dynamq, River Nile Entertainment:

     banaat mutu ashan umon ma ze ita

     Girls die because they’re not like you

References

• Ian Smith; Morris Timothy Ama (1985), A Dictionary of Juba Arabic & English‎^[5], 1st edition, Juba: The Committee of The Juba Cheshire Home and Centre for Handicapped Children, page 181

Kashubian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈzɛ/
• Rhymes: -ɛ
• Syllabification: ze

Preposition

ze

1. alternative form of z

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zɛ/

Preposition

ze

1. alternative form of z (both meanings; used before sibilants and certain consonant clusters)

   Stej bratš ze sotšu. ― They are brother and sister (literally, “brother with sister”)

Luxembourgish

Alternative forms

• zu (for the adverb, when stressed)

Etymology

From Middle High German ze, from Old High German zi, from Proto-Germanic *ta, reduced form of *tō, whence Luxembourgish zu and zou.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tse/, [t͡sə]

Preposition

ze

1. to (with a following infinitive)

   De Kaffi ass ze waarm fir ze drénken.

   The coffee is too hot to drink.

Adverb

ze

1. too (more than enough, when unstressed)

   De Kaffi ass ze waarm fir ze drénken.

   The coffee is too hot to drink.

Mandarin

Romanization

ze

1. nonstandard spelling of zē
2. nonstandard spelling of zé
3. nonstandard spelling of zè
4. nonstandard spelling of zê̄

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Middle English

Etymology

From Old English sǣ.

Noun

ze

1. alternative form of see (“sea”)

Descendants

• English: sea

Middle High German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (before 13^th CE) /ˈt͡sə/

Preposition

ze (+ dative)

1. alternative form of zuo

Northern Qiang

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *rəj.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tsə/

Noun

ze

1. water

References

Zhou Facheng; Sun Hongkai (2010), 汉羌词典 [Chinese–Qiang dictionary]‎^[6], Beijing: 中国文联出版社, →ISBN

Old Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (13^th CE) /ˈzɛ/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /ˈzɛ/

Preposition

ze

1. alternative form of z

Old Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /zɛ/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /zɛ/

Preposition

ze

1. alternative form of z

Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish z, from Proto-Slavic *jьz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈzɛ/

• Audio 1:

  (file)

• Audio 2:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛ
• Syllabification: ze
• Homophone: ze-

Preposition

ze

1. alternative form of z

Particle

ze

1. (colloquial) alternative form of z

Usage notes

See z.

Further reading

• “ze”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[7] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “ze”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[8] (in Polish)

Saterland Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian [Term?], from Proto-West Germanic *sī. Cognates include West Frisian sy and German sie.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zə/

Pronoun

ze

1. unstressed form of ju (“she”)
2. unstressed form of jo (“they”)

See also

Saterland Frisian personal pronouns

			subject case		object case
			stressed	unstressed
singular	1st		iek		mie
	2nd		du		die
	3rd	m	hie	er	him
		f	ju	ze	hier
		n	dät	et	dät
plural	1st		wie		uus
	2nd		jie		jou
	3rd		jo	ze	hier

References

• Marron C. Fort (2015), “ze”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN

Silesian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈzɛ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛ
• Syllabification: ze

Preposition

ze

1. alternative form of z

Turkish

Etymology 1

Noun

ze (definite accusative zeyi, plural zeler)

1. The name of the Latin script letter Z/z.

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) harf; a, be, ce, çe, de, e, fe, ge, yumuşak ge, he, ı, i, je, ke, le, me, ne, o, ö, pe, re, se, şe, te, u, ü, ve, ye, ze

Etymology 2

Derived from Arabic زَاي (zāy).

Noun

ze

1. Letter of the Arabic alphabet: ز

Turkmen

Noun

ze (definite accusative [please provide], plural [please provide])

1. The name of the Latin script letter Z/z.

White Hmong

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʐe˧/

Adjective

ze

1. near, close by, around

Xhosa

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Relative

-ze^?

1. naked

   Synonym: -ntswempu

Inflection

Relative concord

	modifier		copulative
	positive	negative	positive	negative
1st singular	endize	endingeze	ndize	andize
2nd singular	oze	ongeze	uze	awuze
1st plural	esize	esingeze	size	asize
2nd plural	enize	eningeze	nize	anize
class 1	oze	ongeze	uze	akaze
class 2	abaze	abangeze	baze	abaze
class 3	oze	ongeze	uze	awuze
class 4	eze	engeze	ize	ayize
class 5	elize	elingeze	lize	alize
class 6	aze	angeze	aze	awaze
class 7	esize	esingeze	size	asize
class 8	ezize	ezingeze	zize	azize
class 9	eze	engeze	ize	ayize
class 10	ezize	ezingeze	zize	azize
class 11	oluze	olungeze	luze	aluze
class 14	obuze	obungeze	buze	abuze
class 15	okuze	okungeze	kuze	akuze
class 17	okuze	okungeze	kuze	akuze

Yola

Verb

ze

1. alternative form of zee (“to see”)

References

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 81

Zazaki

Adverb

ze

1. same

Zulu

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /zé/

Relative

-zé

1. empty
2. naked

Inflection

Relative concord, tone H

	modifier		copulative
	positive	negative	positive	negative
1st singular	engize	engingeze	ngize	angize
2nd singular	oze	ongeze	uze	awuze
1st plural	esize	esingeze	size	asize
2nd plural	enize	eningeze	nize	anize
class 1	oze	ongeze	uze	akaze
class 2	abaze	abangeze	baze	abaze
class 3	oze	ongeze	uze	awuze
class 4	eze	engeze	ize	ayize
class 5	elize	elingeze	lize	alize
class 6	aze	angeze	aze	awaze
class 7	esize	esingeze	size	asize
class 8	ezize	ezingeze	zize	azize
class 9	eze	engeze	ize	ayize
class 10	ezize	ezingeze	zize	azize
class 11	oluze	olungeze	luze	aluze
class 14	obuze	obungeze	buze	abuze
class 15	okuze	okungeze	kuze	akuze
class 17	okuze	okungeze	kuze	akuze

Derived terms

• ize
• ubuze

Etymology 2

From -za (“to come”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ze/

Verb

-ze

1. (auxiliary, in positive) until [with subjunctive]

   Sizolinda baze bafike.

   We will wait until they arrive.

   Sakhuluma waze wafika uthisha.

   We talked until the teacher arrived.

2. (auxiliary, in positive, past) used in exclamations [with subjunctive clause]

   Waze wamuhle umakoti!

   Oh how beautiful the bride is!

3. (auxiliary, in negative, present) never [with potential]

   Angize ngingadla inyama.

   I never eat meat.

4. (auxiliary, in negative, past) never [with subjunctive]

   Akazange agibele ihhashi.

   He has never ridden a horse.

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

References

C. M. Doke; B. W. Vilakazi (1972), “-ze”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “-ze”