Z

Z, z [In BrE called ‘zed’, in AmE ‘zee’]. The 26th and last LETTER of the Roman ALPHABET as used for English. It originated as the 7th letter of the Phoenician alphabet and became the 7th letter of the Hebrew and Greek alphabets. The Greeks called it zeta (Z, ζ), probably first pronouncing it /dz/, then /z/. The Romans adopted Z later than the rest of the alphabet, since /z/ was not a native Latin sound, adding it at the end of their list of letters and using it rarely. They did not always use it to transliterate zeta. Old English did not normally use z, the name Elizabeth being an exception. The use of zed as a term of ABUSE in SHAKESPEARE'S King Lear (‘Thou whoreson zed! Thou unnecessary letter!’, 2.2) suggests that although it was then being increasingly written it was held in low esteem. The modification of BrE zed (from Old FRENCH zede, through LATIN, from GREEK zeta) to zee in AmE appears to have been by ANALOGY with bee, dee, vee, etc.

Sound values and double Z

(1) In VERNACULAR English, z represents a voiced alveolar fricative, pairing with s as its voiceless equivalent. It occurs initially, medially, and finally, sometimes doubled: zebra, horizon, dazzle, daze, buzz. (2) Before the ending -ure, the initial i-glide of the u is commonly assimilated to the z, producing the sound ‘zh’: azure, seizure (compare measure). (3) The sound /z/ is more frequently represented by s than z. (4) Some possibly echoic monosyllables have zz (buzz, fizz, fuzz, jazz, whiz(z)), as have disyllables with the iterative suffix -le (dazzle, razzle, fizzle, sizzle, guzzle). (5) Mono-syllables ending in single z after a short vowel (fez, quiz) inflect with zz: fez/fezzes, quiz/quizzing. (6) Final y requires preceding zz if the preceding vowel is short (dizzy, muzzy), but only z if long (lazy, crazy, dozy).

Voiced and voiceless Z

The voiced/voiceless distinction of /s, z/ in OLD ENGLISH was predictable and did not need to be shown in spelling; medial s was voiced, as is still largely the case (busy, weasel), but French influence after the Norman Conquest in 1066 led to the writing of medial voiced s as z or zz in some words of Old English or Old Norse derivation: adz(e), amaze, blaze, craze, daze, dazzle, dizzy, doze, drizzle, freeze, furze, gaze, hazel, ooze, sneeze, squeeze, wheeze, wizen. Some related nouns have voiceless s (brazen/brass, frozen/frost, glaze/glass, graze/grass), others voiced s (nuzzle/nose, wizard/wise). Words of Old English origin were not spelt with final z: sneeze, booze, not *sneez, *booz.

English Z, French S

Many FRENCH-derived words contain z or zz, sometimes where French has or had s: English breeze (French brise), buzzard, citizen, embezzle, frenzy (French frénésie), frieze (French frise), gizzard, grizzle (French grisailler), hazard (French hasard), lozenge (French losange), mizzen, muzzle (French museau), razor (French rasoir), seize (French saisir). Prize corresponds to French prix and size, a clipping of assize, is derived from French assise. Baize appears to have been a misinterpretation of the French plural baies. Elsewhere, English z matches French z: bizarre, bronze, dozen, gauze, lizard.

Exotic Z

(1) Initial z was used from the 14c in new words derived from French or Latin, often originating in other languages such as ARABIC, SPANISH, and Greek: zeal, zebra, zenith, zero, zest, zeugma, zirconium, zither, zodiac, zone, zoology. GERMAN was the source of zigzag, zinc, while zombie originated in Africa. (2) Medial z occurs in more recent loans: Persian bazaar, Spanish bonanza, maize, Kongo chimpanzee, Greek horizon, German (from Italian) marzipan, Polish mazurka, Arabic muezzin, ITALIAN stanza, French (through Latin from Greek) trapeze. (3) In recent loans, z usually retains the value given to it in the source language:/ts/ in German Alzheimer's disease, Nazi, Zeitgeist and Italian pizzicato (mezzo-soprano has /dz/ in Italian). Older German loans may have a preceding t: quartz, waltz (compare modern German Quarz,Walzer). (4) In the tz combination, the t induces devoicing of a following z, as in blitz, chintz. Quartz and quarts are homophones. (5) Silent z occurs in recent French loans: laissez-faire, rendezvous, répondez s'il vous plaît. (6) Because of German influence, in the Greek combining form schizo-(as in schizophrenia), z is pronounced as a voiceless affricate, /ts/. (7) In the word Czech, the digraph cz has the value of English ch, but in czar the initial c is silent and z has its normal value, as also in the alternative (and etymologically more accurate) spelling tsar. (8) Of unknown but recent origin are bamboozle, blizzard, puzzle.

Archaic Scots Z

In ScoE, some words, including names, have a silent z (capercailzie pronounced ‘capercailie’, Dalrulzion ‘Dalrullion’, Dalziel ‘Deyell’, gaberlunzie ‘gabber-loonie’) or a digraph nz pronounced /ŋ/, as in the name Menzies, traditionally pronounced ‘Mingis’ (ng as in singer). Here z is an adaptation of the Old English letter YOGH (ʒ) rather than etymological z.

British and American differences

Some alternative s/z spellings are found, the most widespread the Greek-derived suffix -ise/ize (regularise/regularize), where z is universal in AmE, and s is widely used in BrE and preferred in AusE. This variation also occurs in AmE cozy, cognizant, BrE cosy, cognisant. See S, X.