ze

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.

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, 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.

See also

• other attested gender-neutral pronouns

Noun

ze (plural zes)

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

Related terms

• zemër

Noun

ze inan

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

Conjunction

ze

1. (Biscayan) because

   Synonyms: zergatik, zeren

   • 1596, Joseba Lakarra, editor, Refranes y sentencias [Sayings and sentences] (Euskararen Lekukoak; 19)‎, 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)‎, 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

Determiner

ze (preposed, interrogative)

1. Colloquial form of zer (“what”)

Pronoun

ze (interrogative)

1. Colloquial form of zer (“what”)

Pronoun

ze

1. (Sette Comuni) they

   Synonym: zandare

Pronoun

ze

1. Alternative form of zi (“she”)

Usage notes

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

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).
• 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

Derived terms

• werk ze

Descendants

• Javindo: se
• Jersey Dutch: zê, sê

See also

• (Latin script letter names) litero; 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 ^{(Category: io:Latin letter names)}

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.

Descendants

• English: sea

See also

Noun

ze (definite accusative zeyi, plural zeler)

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

Noun

ze

1. Letter of the Arabic alphabet: ز

Inflection

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /zé/

Relative

-zé

1. empty
2. naked

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.