Here you’ll find 41 Big words that start with Z, organized from “zeitgeber” to “zymurgy”. Many come from Greek, Latin, or German, and they suit writers, students, educators, and curious readers.

[Big words that start with Z] are polysyllabic, high-register words beginning with Z that add precision, emphasis, or flair to language. Notably, “zeitgeber” entered English via German and shows how specialist terms can become common loanwords.

Below you’ll find the table with [COLUMN_NAMES]

Word: The headword listed alphabetically so you can find spellings, pronunciations, and the specific term you need quickly.

Etymology: The language of origin and root morphemes, giving you historical context and clues to related words.

Definition: A concise one-sentence meaning so you can understand and use each word accurately in writing or speech.

Big words that start with Z

Word Part of speech Etymology Meaning Description
ziggurat noun Akkadian ziggurratu via Arabic/Latin, ancient Mesopotamian stepped temple tower of ancient Mesopotamia Stately archaeological term, used in history and architecture contexts. Syllables: 3. Register: formal/academic; OED/MW attested.
zodiacal adjective Greek zodiakos (zōion + -akos), late Latin via French, medieval relating to the zodiac or astrological belt Astrological/astronomical adjective; used in formal descriptions. Syllables: 4. Register: literary/scientific.
zoology noun Greek zoon ‘animal’ + -logia ‘study’, 18th century scientific study of animals Core scientific discipline term; common in academic contexts. Syllables: 4. Register: formal/academic.
zoological adjective Greek zoon + logos + -ical, 19th century relating to the science of animals Scholarly adjective used in biology, museums, and publications. Syllables: 5. Register: academic/formal.
zoogeography noun Greek zoon + geographia, 19th century study of animal geographic distribution Specialized geography/biology term for species distribution studies. Syllables: 5. Register: technical/academic.
zoogeographic adjective Greek zoon + geographia + -ic, 19th century pertaining to animal geographic distributions Used in ecology, conservation and biogeography literature. Syllables: 6. Register: technical/academic.
zoography noun Greek zoon + graphia, 18th–19th century descriptive writing or depiction of animals Archaic-to-technical term for animal description and illustration. Syllables: 4. Register: literary/academic.
zootechnics noun Greek zoon + techne ‘art’, 19th century techniques of animal husbandry and breeding Technical agricultural term, used in veterinary and farming texts. Syllables: 4. Register: technical/professional.
zoolatry noun Greek zoon + latreia ‘worship’, classical/modern coinage worship or veneration of animals Rare, scholarly term used in anthropology or religious studies. Syllables: 3. Register: academic/rare.
zooplankton noun Greek zoon + plankton, 19th century small animals drifting in aquatic ecosystems Standard ecological term in marine biology and limnology. Syllables: 3. Register: scientific.
zooplanktonic adjective zoon + plankton + -ic, 20th century relating to or characteristic of zooplankton Technical descriptor in marine ecology and oceanography. Syllables: 4. Register: technical/academic.
zoonosis noun Greek zoon + nosos ‘disease’, 19th century disease transmitted from animals to humans Public-health term common in epidemiology and medicine. Syllables: 3. Register: medical/technical.
zoonotic adjective zoonosis + -ic, 19th–20th century transmissible between animals and humans Used in medical, veterinary, and public-health contexts. Syllables: 4. Register: medical/scientific.
zoophagy noun Greek zoon + phagein ‘to eat’, classical formation the act of eating animals; carnivory Rare, formal term in biology and dietary contexts. Syllables: 3. Register: technical/literary.
zoophagous adjective Greek zoon + phagein + -ous, 19th century feeding on other animals; carnivorous Biological adjective used in ecology and entomology. Syllables: 4. Register: scientific.
zoophily noun Greek zoon + philia ‘love’, 19th century pollination or attraction by animals Botanical/ecological technical term about pollination mechanisms. Syllables: 3. Register: technical/academic.
zoophilous adjective Greek zoon + philia + -ous, 19th century adapted for or attractive to animal pollinators Used in botany to describe breeding and pollination strategies. Syllables: 4. Register: scientific.
zoophilia noun Greek zoon + philia, late 19th century sexual attraction to animals (clinical term) Clinical/forensic term; used in psychology and legal contexts. Syllables: 4. Register: clinical/technical (sensitive topic).
zootherapy noun Greek zoon + therapeia ‘healing’, 19th–20th century treatment using animals or animal products Appears in medical history and alternative-medicine literature. Syllables: 4. Register: historical/technical.
zoocentric adjective Greek zoon + kentron ‘center’, modern coinage placing animals at the center of concern or analysis Ethical/academic adjective in animal studies and philosophy. Syllables: 4. Register: scholarly.
zoolatry* noun Greek zoon + latreia, 19th century worship of animals (duplicate sense) See zoolatry; rare anthropological term. Syllables: 3. Register: academic.
zymology noun Greek zyme ‘leaven, fermentation’ + -logy, 19th century study of fermentation processes Technical term in biochemistry and brewing sciences. Syllables: 4. Register: technical/academic.
zymurgy noun Greek zyme + -urgy ‘work’, 19th century applied fermentation practice; brewing science Hobbyist and technical term in brewing and fermentation circles. Syllables: 3. Register: technical/practical.
zymotic adjective Greek zymōtikos ‘pertaining to fermentation’, 19th century relating to or causing infectious disease/fermentation Historical medical adjective; used in older epidemiology texts. Syllables: 3. Register: historical/medical.
zymogen noun Greek zyme + gen ‘begetting’, 19th century inactive precursor of an enzyme Biochemical term common in physiology and molecular biology. Syllables: 3. Register: scientific.
zymogenic adjective zymogen + -ic, 19th century producing or activated by fermentation Used in biochemistry and microbiology literature. Syllables: 4. Register: technical.
zymography noun Greek zyme + -graphy, 20th century gel-based technique to visualize enzyme activity Laboratory technique term in biochemistry and diagnostics. Syllables: 4. Register: technical/methodological.
zeolite noun Modern Greek zēō ‘to boil’ + lithos ‘stone’, early 19th c. microporous aluminosilicate mineral used as adsorbent Common mineralogical/industrial term in chemistry and geology. Syllables: 3. Register: scientific/industrial.
zeolitic adjective zeolite + -ic, 19th century relating to or resembling zeolite minerals Used in geology, materials science, and engineering texts. Syllables: 4. Register: technical.
zenithal adjective Arabic/Old Spanish via medieval Latin (zenith) + -al, medieval pertaining to the zenith; overhead direction Astronomical or descriptive term in geography and optics. Syllables: 3. Register: formal/technical.
zetetic adjective Greek zētētikos ‘inquiring’, 17th century relating to inquiry or skeptical investigation Rare literary/critical adjective for investigative approaches. Syllables: 3. Register: literary/scholarly.
zeitgeber noun German Zeitgeber ‘time‑giver’, mid 20th century loanword external cue that synchronizes biological rhythms Common in chronobiology and neuroscience literature. Syllables: 3. Register: scientific/technical.
zygomatic adjective Greek zygōma ‘yoke, cheekbone’, anatomical Latin relating to the cheekbone (zygomatic bone) Standard anatomical adjective in medicine and art anatomy. Syllables: 4. Register: medical/academic.
zygomorphic adjective Greek zygos + morphē, botanical usage, 19th century bilaterally symmetric (especially flowers) Frequent in botany, taxonomy, and morphology discussions. Syllables: 4. Register: scientific.
zygosity noun Greek zyg- ‘joined’ + -osity, 19th century degree of genetic similarity between alleles Genetics term used in biology and medical genetics. Syllables: 4. Register: technical/academic.
zygotene noun Greek zygotēnē, cytology term, 19th century substage of prophase I in meiosis Specialized cell‑biology term in genetics and textbooks. Syllables: 3. Register: technical.
zygomaticus noun Latin anatomical diminutive from Greek zygōma, 19th century facial muscle linking cheekbone to mouth region Anatomical term appearing in medicine and anatomy. Syllables: 5. Register: medical/anatomical.
zygospore noun Greek zyg- ‘yoke’ + spore, 19th century resistant sexual spore formed by some fungi or algae Microbiological term used in botany and mycology. Syllables: 3. Register: scientific.
zoologicality noun zoological + -ity, formation in modern English quality or state of being zoological Rare abstract noun used in literary or academic critique. Syllables: 6. Register: literary/academic.
zoolatrous adjective Greek zoon + latreia + -ous, 19th century pertaining to or practicing animal worship Rare adjective used in religious studies and comparative religion. Syllables: 4. Register: scholarly.
zoonoticity noun zoonotic + -ity, modern formation degree or capacity for zoonotic transmission Technical neologism used in epidemiology commentary. Syllables: 6. Register: technical/medical.

Descriptions

ziggurat
zodiacal
zoology
zoological
zoogeography
zoogeographic
zoography
zootechnics
zoolatry
zooplankton
zooplanktonic
zoonosis
zoonotic
zoophagy
zoophagous
zoophily
zoophilous
zoophilia
zootherapy
zoocentric
zoolatry*
zymology
zymurgy
zymotic
zymogen
zymogenic
zymography
zeolite
zeolitic
zenithal
zetetic
zeitgeber
zygomatic
zygomorphic
zygosity
zygotene
zygomaticus
zygospore
zoologicality
zoolatrous
zoonoticity
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