Wiktionary

ze

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ze"
Languages (31)
English
Albanian • Aukan • Basque • Central Nahuatl • Cimbrian • Czech • Dutch • Gun • Haitian Creole • Ido • Japanese • 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
Page categories

English

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Etymology 1

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Pronunciation

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Article

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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

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

Pronunciation

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Pronoun

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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
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  • 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
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Coordinate terms
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See also

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Etymology 3

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Noun

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ze (plural zes)

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

Anagrams

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Albanian

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Etymology

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A Gheg dialect word, of unclear origin.

Noun

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

  1. soul
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Aukan

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Etymology

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From Dutch zee (“sea”).

Noun

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ze

  1. the sea, the ocean

References

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Basque

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Pronunciation

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

  • Rhymes: -e
  • Hyphenation: ze

Etymology 1

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Borrowed from Spanish ce.

Noun

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ze inan

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter C/c.
Declension
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Declension of ze (inanimate, ending in vowel)
indefinite singular plural
absolutive ze zea zeak
ergative zek zeak zeek
dative zeri zeari zeei
genitive zeren zearen zeen
comitative zerekin zearekin zeekin
causative zerengatik zearengatik zeengatik
benefactive zerentzat zearentzat zeentzat
instrumental zez zeaz zeez
inessive zetan zean zeetan
locative zetako zeko zeetako
allative zetara zera zeetara
terminative zetaraino zeraino zeetaraino
directive zetarantz zerantz zeetarantz
destinative zetarako zerako zeetarako
ablative zetatik zetik zeetatik
partitive zerik — —
prolative zetzat — —
Derived terms
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See also
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Etymology 2

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Conjunction

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ze

  1. (Biscayan) because
    Synonyms: zergatik, zeren
    • 1596, Joseba Lakarra, editor, Refranes y sentencias (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 (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

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Determiner

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ze (preposed, interrogative)

  1. Colloquial form of zer (“what”)

Pronoun

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ze (interrogative)

  1. Colloquial form of zer (“what”)

Further reading

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Central Nahuatl

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Central Nahuatl cardinal numbers
 <  0 1 2  > 
    Cardinal : ze
    Ordinal : inik ze

Etymology

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Cognate to Classical Nahuatl ce

Numeral

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ze

  1. one.

Cimbrian

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Etymology 1

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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

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ze

  1. (Sette Comuni) they
    Synonym: zandare
Inflection
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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
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Etymology 2

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Pronoun

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ze

  1. Alternative form of zi (“she”)

References

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  • “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

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Pronunciation

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Preposition

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ze [with genitive]

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

Usage notes

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

Further reading

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

Dutch

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Pronunciation

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Pronoun

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ze

  1. unstressed form of zij (feminine singular subject)
    Daar zit ze. ― There she is sitting.
  2. unstressed form of zij (plural subject)
    Daar zitten ze. ― There they are sitting.
  3. unstressed form of haar (feminine singular object)
    Ik zie ze. ― I see her.
  4. unstressed form of hen, hun (plural object)
    Ik zie ze. ― I see them.

Usage notes

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  • 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).
  • Ze is used in certain short and idiomatic phrases in the imperative wishing one good luck, the most common by far being werk ze (“good luck at work!”).

Declension

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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 zich 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
plural
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 zich 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").

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Javindo: se
  • Jersey Dutch: zê, sê

Gun

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Pronunciation

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Verb

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zé

  1. to take

Haitian Creole

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Etymology

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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

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Noun

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ze

  1. egg

Ido

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Etymology

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From z +‎ -e.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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ze (plural ze-i)

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

See also

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Japanese

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Romanization

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ze

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

Kashubian

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Pronunciation

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

Preposition

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ze

  1. Alternative form of z.

Lower Sorbian

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Pronunciation

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Preposition

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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

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Alternative forms

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  • zu (for the adverb, when stressed)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Preposition

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ze

  1. to (with a following infinitive)
    De Kaffi ass ze waarm fir ze drénken.
    The coffee is too hot to drink.

Adverb

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ze

  1. too (more than enough, when unstressed)
    De Kaffi ass ze waarm fir ze drénken.
    The coffee is too hot to drink.

Mandarin

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Romanization

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ze

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

Usage notes

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  • 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

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Etymology

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From Old English sǣ.

Noun

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ze

  1. Alternative form of see (“sea”)

Descendants

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Middle High German

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Preposition

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ze (+ dative)

  1. Alternative form of zuo

Northern Qiang

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Etymology

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From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *rəj.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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ze

  1. water

References

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Zhou Facheng, Sun Hongkai (2010) 汉羌词典‎[4], Beijing: 中国文联出版社, →ISBN

Old Czech

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Pronunciation

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Preposition

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ze

  1. Alternative form of z.

Old Polish

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Pronunciation

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Preposition

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ze

  1. Alternative form of z

Polish

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Preposition

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ze

  1. Alternative form of z

Particle

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ze

  1. (colloquial) Alternative form of z

Usage notes

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See z.

Further reading

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  • ze in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • ze in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Saterland Frisian

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Pronoun

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ze

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

See also

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Saterland Frisian personal pronouns
singular plural
1st 2nd 3rd m 3rd f 3rd n 1st 2nd 3rd
stressed iek du hie ju dät wie jie jo
unstressed er ze et ze
objective mie die him hier dät uus jou hier

References

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

Silesian

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Pronunciation

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

Preposition

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ze

  1. Alternative form of z

Turkish

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Etymology 1

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Noun

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ze (definite accusative zeyi, plural zeler)

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter Z/z.
See also
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Etymology 2

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From Arabic زَاي (zāy).

Noun

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ze

  1. Letter of the Arabic alphabet: ز

Turkmen

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Noun

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

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

White Hmong

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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ze

  1. near, close by, around

Xhosa

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Etymology

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

Relative

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-ze?

  1. naked
    Synonym: -ntswempu

Inflection

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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

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Verb

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ze

  1. Alternative form of zee (“to see”)

References

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  • 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

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Adverb

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ze

  1. same

Zulu

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Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

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IPA(key): /zé/

Relative

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-zé

  1. empty
  2. naked
Inflection
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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
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Etymology 2

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From -za (“to come”).

Pronunciation

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IPA(key): /ze/

Verb

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-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
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This verb needs an inflection-table template.

References

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

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