zonen.
/zəʊn/, U.S. /zoʊn/ 1. Geography, etc.
a. Each of the five ‘belts’ or encircling regions, distinguished by differences of climate, into which the surface of the earth (and, in ancient cosmography, the celestial sphere) is divided by the tropics (of Cancer and Capricorn) and the polar (arctic and antarctic) circles; viz. the torrid (†burning, †burnt, †hot) zone between the tropics, the (north and south) temperate zones extending from the tropics to the polar circles, and the frigid (†frozen, †cold) zones (arctic and antarctic) within the polar circles. The arctic and antarctic zones are strictly not ‘belts’ but circular ‘caps’ with the poles in the centre.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > celestial sphere > zone of celestial sphere > [noun] > in ancient cosmography
zonea1500
the world > the earth > region of the earth > zone or belt > [noun] > one of five
zonea1500
the world > the earth > region of the earth > zone or belt > [noun] > one of five > tropical
middle zone1565
torrid zone1590
tropic1598
torrid (burning, burnt, hot) zone1604
a1500 Hist. K. Boccus & Sydracke (?1510) sig. U iv For thre zones [Laud MS. thre wonynges] shal he fynde Where no man may lyue in one kynde One is hote and colde are two.
1555 R. Eden Of North Regions in tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde f. 267v The could zone or clime, was condemned to perpetuall snowe.
1556 R. Record Castle of Knowl. 64 The olde Cosmographers..called all that space betweene the twoo Tropykes, the Burnynge Zone... And of eche syde of it, they noted twoo Zones,..whiche they called the Frosen zones,..and betweene those Frosen zones, & the Burning zone, they appointed two Temperat zones.
1594 T. Blundeville Exercises iv. f. 206 The hotte Zone is that which lyeth betwixt the two Tropiques.
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet v. i. 279 Till our ground Sindging his pate against the burning Zone Make Ossa like a wart. View more context for this quotation
1621 P. Heylyn Microcosmus 4 The parts next the torrid zone are the hotter, & the parts next the frigid zones are the colder.
1693 J. Dryden tr. Ovid Metamorphoses i, in Examen Poeticum 4 The Sun with Rays, directly darting down, Fires all beneath, and fries the middle Zone.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth V. 38 The feathered inhabitants of the temperate zone are but little remarkable for the beauty of their plumage.
1869 G. Rawlinson Man. Anc. Hist. 53 Africa belongs almost entirely to the torrid zone.
b. Any region extending around the earth and comprised between definite limits, e.g. between two parallels of latitude. Also Astronomy applied to a similar region in the heavens or on the surface of a planet or the sun.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > celestial sphere > zone of celestial sphere > [noun]
zone1559
belt1867
the world > the universe > heavenly body > [noun] > zone of
zone1559
the world > the earth > region of the earth > zone or belt > [noun]
linea1387
climatea1393
clime1553
region1556
zone1559
belt1796
subzone1851
dead zone1926
1559 W. Cuningham Cosmogr. Glasse 64 Do you not in this Figure call euery portion betwixt two paralleles: a zone?.. Yes verely.
1578 T. Twyne tr. L. Daneau Wonderfull Woorkmanship of World 61 Those fiue quarters and zones, which the Astronomers doe describe in heauen, and vppon the earth.
1692 [see sense 3b]. 1860 M. F. Maury Physical Geogr. Sea (ed. 8) iv. §205 We have, extending entirely around the earth, two zones of perpetual winds.
1860 M. F. Maury Physical Geogr. Sea (ed. 8) iv. §355 On the north side of this calm zone of Cancer.
1890 C. A. Young Elem. Astron. §190 The spots are confined mostly to two zones of the sun's surface between 5° and 40° of north and south latitude.
2.
a. More or less vaguely: A region or tract of the world, esp. in relation to its climate; also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > region of the earth > zone or belt > [noun] > in relation to climate or weather conditions
clime1542
climate1578
zone1599
homoclime1916
1599 J. Davies Nosce Teipsum 5 We that acquaint our selues with euery Zoane, And passe both Tropikes, and behold the Poles.
a1628 F. Greville Life of Sidney (1651) iv. 46 Her nature hard to imitate, and diversly worshipped, according to Zones, complexions, or education.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 397 We may..in some milde Zone Dwell not unvisited of Heav'ns fair Light Secure. View more context for this quotation
1772 Monthly Rev. 42 190/2 'Midst Lapland's live-long snows, Or India's burning zone.
1856 R. A. Vaughan Hours with Mystics vi. vi It has been theirs..to encounter the perilous fervours of that zone where never cooling cloud appears to veil insufferable radiance.
1870 A. O'Shaughnessy Seraphitus in Epic of Women i Some Spirit from a zone Of light, and ecstasy, and psalm.
b. A definite region or area of the earth, or of any place or space, distinguished from adjacent regions by some special quality or condition (indicated by a defining word or phrase); also figurative.Often in technical use; see also 4b, 5 – 7.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > [noun] > defined or limited portion of space > a particular extent or region > distinguished by some quality or condition
reignc1405
girdle1559
zone1822
nether region1830
1822 G. Mantell Fossils S. Downs 298 This occurrence of the more ancient deposits, within a zone of chalk hills.
1835 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece I. i. 29 Greece lies in a volcanic zone, which extends from the Caspian..to the Azores.
1837 D. Brewster Treat. Magnetism 222 The zone of easterly diurnal variations.
1849 A. A. Paton Highlands & Islands of Adriatic II. xix. 253 The wide-scattered city, with its zone of the glacis, is the foreground of the view.
1852 E. Yates Elem. Strategy 9 Every theatre of war is supposed to be divided into three Zones... These are called Zones of Operation, and are distinguished as the Right, Left, and Central.
1873 Daily News 2 Aug. 3/5 That all extensions should be performed before entering within the fire zone.
1876 G. E. Voyle & G. de Saint-Clair-Stevenson Mil. Dict. (ed. 3) (at cited word) The zone of defence signifies a belt of ground in front of the general contour of the works within effective range of the artillery on the ramparts... Zone of fire, a term synonymous with range or trajectory.
1881 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Engineers 1880–1 9 192 s.v. In a shaft-furnace, the different portions (horizontal sections) are called zones, and characterized according to the reactions which take place in them, as the zone of fusion.
1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining Zone, in coal-mining phraseology, this word signifies a certain series of coal seams, with their accompanying shales, &c.
1902 Times 24 Nov. 5/2 Beyond the rain zone dead scrub and lifeless trees alone meet the eye.
c. Town Planning. A district or an area of land subject to particular restrictions concerning use and development.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > [noun] > town-planning or development > area subject to specific restrictions
white land1677
zone1909
green belt1921
conservation area1925
1909 H. I. Triggs Town Planning iv. 177 The usual method in formulating town building plans on a large scale is to divide the urban area into building zones.
1910 F. Howkins Housing Acts 1890–1909, & Town Planning ix. 125 Certain portions of the area would be reserved for the erection of better class residences... This would be similar to the ‘zone’ system which has been adopted in certain towns on the Continent.
1939 H. M. Lewis City Planning xvi. 166 A single map will show the subdivision of the area into zones, which in a typical case might be defined as follows: One family zones. Two family zones. [etc.].
1953 Interim Rep. Comm. Air Pollution 27 in Parl. Papers (Cmd. 9011) VIII. 655 The ‘smokeless zone’ provision of some local Acts..apply to domestic as well as industrial smoke.
1964 J. S. Scott Dict. Building 364 Certain areas can be kept for light industry, others for heavy industry, dwellings, offices..and so on, each area being called a zone.
d. American Football and Basketball. A specific area of the court to be defended by a particular player; also, a mode of defensive play employing this system (cf. zone defence n. at Compounds 1b below).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > basketball > [noun] > types of play
zone1927
zone defence1927
press1945
ankle-breaker2001
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > American football > [noun] > actions or manoeuvres
rush1857
punt-out1861
goal-kicking1871
safety1879
safety touchdown1879
scrimmage1880
rushing1882
safety touch1884
touchback1884
forward pass1890
run1890
blocking1891
signal1891
fake1893
onside kick1895
tandem-play1895
pass play1896
spiral1896
shift1901
end run1902
straight-arm1903
quarterback sneak1904
runback1905
roughing1906
Minnesota shift1910
quarterbacking1910
snap-back1910
pickoff1912
punt return1914
screen forward pass1915
screen pass1920
power play1921
sneak1921
passback1922
snap1922
defence1923
reverse1924
carry1927
lateral1927
stiff-arm1927
zone1927
zone defence1927
submarine charge1928
squib1929
block1931
pass rushing1933
safetying1933
trap play1933
end-around1934
straight-arming1934
trap1935
mousetrap1936
buttonhook1938
blitzing1940
hand-off1940
pitchout1946
slant1947
strike1947
draw play1948
shovel pass1948
bootleg1949
option1950
red dog1950
red-dogging1951
rollout1951
submarine1952
sleeper pass1954
draw1956
bomb1960
swing pass1960
pass rush1962
blitz1963
spearing1964
onsides kick1965
takeaway1967
quarterback sack1968
smash-mouth1968
veer1968
turn-over1969
bump-and-run1970
scramble1971
sack1972
nose tackle1975
nickel1979
pressure1981
1927 G. S. Warner Football Coaches & Players 191 In the zone defense the players playing back of the line of scrimmage..are so stationed that they can knock down or intercept any pass that comes into their territory or zone.
1942 C. Bee Zone Def. & Attack i. 1 Certain coaches believe only the ‘zone’ can be called a team defense.
1964 F. Anderson & S. Albeck Coaching Better Basketball ix. 209 You cannot win consistently..utilizing the zone.
1971 L. Koppett N.Y. Times Guide Spectator Sports iii. 83 Each player is given a specific portion of the floor as ‘his territory’, and he guards, in turn, any offensive player who enters his ‘zone’.
1979 Farmington (New Mexico) Daily Times 27 May 8 a/7 The defense must be a man-to-man with no presses or zones allowed.
e. Any one of those areas of Germany and Austria occupied by British, American, French, or Russian forces after the war of 1939–45 until 1955. Subsequently occasionally applied to East German territory; also transferred.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > named regions of earth > Europe > Germanic region > [noun] > occupied by Allies
zone1945
trizonia1947
1945 Times 13 Feb. 4/1 The conference of Mr. Churchill, President Roosevelt, and Marshal Stalin, held at Yalta, in the Crimea, has drawn up military plans for the final defeat of Germany... The forces of the three Powers will each occupy a separate zone of Germany, and a central control commission will have headquarters in Berlin. France will be invited to take a zone of occupation.
1947 Daily Tel. 25 Sept. 5/8 German machinery..will be delivered to Hungary in the next three months under a trade agreement signed between Hungary and the Soviet zone of Germany.
1954 W. Faulkner Fable 128 Frenchmen..had been spending their leaves..among the combat-troop rest-billets not only throughout the entire French Army zone, but the American and the British ones too.
1956 Ann. Reg. 1955 iii. v. 223 Some political leaders expressed the view that German interests would be furthered by direct negotiations with the Soviet Union, and that it would ease conditions for the people of the Soviet Zone if there was limited collaboration with the East German authorities.
1963 ‘J. le Carré’ Spy who came in from Cold xiii. 127 The GDR... The Zone if you prefer.
1964 L. Deighton Funeral in Berlin vii. 50 Not too near the Sektor boundary and within a mile of the Soviet Zone... Sometimes we prefer to put our cargo on ice in the zone... Anywhere from Lübeck to Leipzig.
1976 W. D. Graf German Left since 1945 iii. 77 This movement aimed at the restoration of German unity... It was founded on the basis of proposals put forward by the communist leadership in the Soviet Zone.
3.
a. A girdle or belt, as a part of dress. (Chiefly poetic.) Hence, any encircling band.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > belt or sash > types of > worn around waist
girdlec1000
seynta1350
ceintec1386
senturea1400
love-lacec1400
girdinga1425
cinglec1430
seynturec1460
cenglea1492
waist1550
waist-girdle1553
centure1562
zone1608
cummerbund1616
cincture1667
waist-belt1672
centurine1696
faja1841
ceinture1856
crios1899
1608 B. Jonson Masque of Beautie 194 in Characters Two Royall Masques Germinatio. In greene; with a Zone of golde about her Wast.
1635 F. Quarles Emblemes v. viii. 274 Shall these course hands untie The sacred Zone of thy Virginitie?
1660 T. Stanley Hist. Philos. III. iii. 13 This was the first place where he untyed his zone since he fled from Athens..so great was his fear.
1743 E. Young Complaint: Night the Fifth 8 Wit calls the Graces the chast Zone to loose.
1803 H. K. White To my Lyre in Clifton Grove p. xiii Dear to me the classic zone, Which..Adorns th' accepted Bard.
1810 E. D. Clarke Trav. Var. Countries: Pt. 1st xvii. 398 It was a zone for the leg, or bracelet for the arm, of the purest massive gold.
1869 W. E. H. Lecky Hist. European Morals II. v. 338 To the fabled zone of beauty the Christian saints opposed their zones of chastity.
1883 T. Hardy in Longman's Mag. July 258 The carters with a zone of whipcord round their hats.
b. A money-belt or purse.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > money > place for keeping money > money-bag, -purse, or -belt > [noun]
pungeOE
by-girdlec1000
purselOE
almonerc1330
pouch1355
almonryc1450
penny purse1523
cherry-bag1539
money bag1562
bung1567
jan1610
penny pouch1650
coda1680
zone1692
spung1728
money purse1759
spleuchan1787
skin1795
sporran1817
fisc1820
moneybelt1833
poke1859
purse-belt1901
1692 J. Washington tr. J. Milton Def. People Eng. ix. 212 How many Zones you observed in that Golden and Silken Heaven of the King's, I know not; but I know you got one Zone (a Purse) well tempered with a Hundred Golden Stars by your Astronomy.
1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian vii, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. I. 186 The zone of the ex trooper, to use Horace's phrase, was weighty enough to purchase a cottage.
c. Astronomy. The girdle of Orion.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > constellation > Southern constellations > [noun] > Orion > Orion's belt
ell-wanda1522
Golden Yard1556
golden yard1556
zone1599
King's ella1605
warrior's belt1879
1599 T. Hill Schoole of Skil ii. 92 The constellation named the Zone or gyrdle of Orion.
4.
a. Something that encircles like a girdle; a circumscribing or enclosing line, band, or ring.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > surrounding > [noun] > that which surrounds > encircling band or ring
sengilbondc1479
colletc1530
verge1573
engirdling1598
zone1605
girdlea1616
belting1676
belt1753
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. i. vi. 193 Round about him he so closely cleaues With's wrything bodie; that his Enemie..Hasts to some Tree, or to some Rocke, whearon To rush and rub-off his detested zone.
1620 T. Peyton Glasse of Time i. 50 With twelue braue gates the curious eye to fill, The sacred luster as the glistring Zoane, And euery gate fram'd of a seuerall stone.
1785 W. Cowper Task iv. 257 The moon..set With modest grandeur in thy [sc. Evening's] purple zone.
1840 Civil Engineer & Architect's Jrnl. 3 144/1 Below the entablature is a band or zone, formed of large stones and bricks placed alternately.
1856 W. Clark tr. J. van der Hoeven Handbk. Zool. I. 93 Tentacles disposed in a zone around the mouth.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xxii. 154 A tendency to form circular zones round the sun.
1895 R. Bridges Ode to Music iv. i His [sc. the sea's] world-wide elemental moan Girdeth our lives with tragic zone.
b. A band or stripe of colour, or of light or shade, extending around something, or (loosely) over any surface or area; often, any one of a number of concentric or alternate markings of this kind.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > colour > variegation > ring of colour > [noun]
zone1752
hoop1961
the world > space > shape > curvature > roundness > [noun] > annular quality > ring
ringeOE
circlec1305
cerceaus1340
hoop1530
hoop-ring1545
annulus1563
ringleta1616
annule1681
zone1752
1752 J. Hill Gen. Nat. Hist. III. 131 The outer surface of the whole shell [of the Buccinum]..is of a pale brownish colour, elegantly variegated with a great number of yellow zones.
1805 G. Shaw Vivarium Naturæ, or Naturalist’s Misc. XVI. pl. 657 Long-tailed green Parrot, with..the collar on the nape and abdominal zone yellow.
1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art I. 556 When Jupiter is viewed through a good telescope, we perceive a number of zones or belts, of a darker colour than the rest of his disc.
1816 R. Jameson Syst. Mineral. (ed. 2) II. 146 All such white marbles as are marked with green-coloured zones, caused by talc or chlorite.
1833 C. Bell Hand (1834) 311 If we press upon the eye-ball with a key or the end of a pencil-case, zones of light are excited.
1891 F. W. Farrar Darkness & Dawn I. vi. 43 The atrium glowed in zones of light.
5. Astronomy. A region or belt of the sky comprised between definite limits, e.g. between two parallels of declination.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > sky, heavens > [noun] > region, zone
coastc1400
zone1795
star stream1844
lane1899
1795 W. Herschel in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 85 381 My examinations of the heavens in zones.
1829 Chapters Physical Sci. 413 That broad zone called the milky-way.
1890 A. M. Clerke Syst. Stars xxiv. 377 The general plan of nebular distribution is into vast assemblages, one on either side of the galactic zone.
6. Anatomy, Zoology, and Botany. A growth or structure surrounding or encircling some part in the form of a ring or cylinder; also, a region or area extending around or over some part and distinguished by some special character or condition.With various defining words applied spec. to particular structures or regions. ciliary adj. zone, motor n. and adj. zone: see these words. zone of Zinn: see zonule n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > physical aspects or shapes > specific areas or structures > [noun]
tract1681
zone1811
1811 C. Bell Anat. Hum. Body (ed. 3) III. 468 These tubercles are..surrounded by a zone or disk, of a brownish red colour, the areola.
1849 A. H. Hassall Microsc. Anat. Human Body I. 514 Ciliary processes.—These processes..are received into corresponding folds or plaitings of the hyaloid membrane, called the secondary ciliary processes, and which taken altogether form a circle around the crystalline lens named after their discoverer the Zone of Zinn.
1882 B. G. Wilder & S. H. Gage Anat. Technol. Domest. Cat §1421 The cornea..is..intermediate in thickness between that of the white zone and the rest of the sclerotic.
1884 F. O. Bower & D. H. Scott tr. H. A. de Bary Compar. Anat. Phanerogams & Ferns 7 The periblem, which is a zone of tissue lying between the plerome and dermatogen.
1913 W. A. N. Dorland Med. Dict. (at cited word) Abdominal z[one]s, the three zones into which the surface of the abdomen is divided by the subcostal and intertubercular lines... Pellucid z., the zona pellucida.
7. Geology and Physical Geography. A region, or each of a series of regions, comprised between definite limits of any kind, e.g. of depth or height, and distinguished by special characters, esp. by characteristic fossils or forms of animal and plant life.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > region of the earth > [noun]
endc893
earthOE
coastc1315
plagea1382
provincea1382
regiona1382
countrya1387
partya1387
climatea1398
partc1400
nookc1450
corner1535
subregion1559
parcel1582
quart1590
climature1604
latitudea1640
area1671
district1712
zone1829
natural region1888
sector1943
1829 A. Ure New Syst. Geol. 150 In the north [of France], it [sc. limestone] forms a portion of the great transition zone, which stretches from Flanders into the Hartz.
1839 R. I. Murchison Silurian Syst. i. ii. 17 The presence of this zone of clay..is marked by the outburst of water.
1851 Amer. Jrnl. Sci. 61 263 This cretaceous zone of the shore of the Cantabrian sea.
1882 A. Geikie Text-bk. Geol. vi. 635 A bed, or limited number of beds, characterized by one or more distinctive fossils, is termed a zone or horizon.
8.
a. Mathematics. A part of the surface of a sphere contained between two parallel planes, or of the surface of any solid of revolution contained between two planes perpendicular to the axis.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > geometry > surface > [noun] > part of
zone1795
sheeta1831
1795 C. Hutton Math. & Philos. Dict. II. 477/2 The curve-surface of any segment or zone of a Sphere, is also equal to the curve surface of a cylinder of the same height with that portion, and of the same diameter with the Sphere.
1867 W. Thomson & P. G. Tait Treat. Nat. Philos. I. §781. 621 These circles..are..all in parallel planes..and cut the spherical surface into zones.
b. Crystallography. A series of faces of a crystal extending around it and having their lines of intersection parallel.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > crystallography (general) > crystal (general) > crystal symmetry > [noun] > zones
zone1868
1868 J. D. Dana Syst. Mineral. (ed. 5) Introd. p. xxvi The planes [of a crystalline form] may thus be viewed as lying in vertical zones, a different zone for every ratio of the lateral axes.
1878 H. P. Gurney Crystallogr. 21 These four vertical faces constitute what is called a zone (or girdle) of the form.
1895 C. S. Palmer tr. W. Nernst Theoret. Chem. 67 The ‘law of zones’,..viz. all planes which can occur on a crystal are related to each other in zones; or, in other words, from any four planes, no three of which lie in one zone, all possible crystal planes can be derived by means of zones.
9. A hole in certain punched cards that is punched above the column of holes representing non-zero digits and is used in conjunction with these latter holes to represent non-numerical characters. Usually attributive.
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > hardware > secondary storage > [adjective] > relating to punched card or tape
summary punched1939
prepunched1940
zone1950
society > computing and information technology > hardware > secondary storage > [noun] > punch card or tape > types of hole
overpunch1947
zone1950
1950 W. W. Stifler High-speed Computing Devices (Engin. Res. Associates) 149 For alphabetical representations, two perforations in a single column are used for each letter; one of these is a zone punch (0, 11, or 12) while the other perforation is made in the position identifying one of the digits 1 to 9.
1959 M. H. Wrubel Primer of Programming for Digital Computers ii. 33 Alphabetic information is recorded by using two punches in the same column: the upper punch (sometimes called the ‘zone’) is always a 12, 11, or 0.
1970 O. Dopping Computers & Data Processing ii. 44 A letter in the English alphabet is coded with one zone punch (12, 11, or 0) together with one under~punch.
1972 W. R. Price Introd. Data Processing vii. 179 The correspondence between the Hollerith zones and the 1401 zones.
1979 Davis & McCormack Information Age vi. 98 Later, when the need for alphabetic data arose, the zone positions, rows 12 and 11, were added.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
a. attributive, chiefly in technical senses.
(a) (In sense 2b, esp. in reference to ‘zones’ or regions into which a district or country is divided for purposes of railway or other travelling.)
zone centre n.
zone fare n.
ΚΠ
1903 Daily Chron. 18 Dec. 6/3 They proposed to fix zone fares, and they treated Hammersmith as what they called the zone centre.
zone system n.
ΚΠ
1903 Daily Chron. 21 Nov. 7/2 Hungary has introduced a zone system on her railways, which has made travelling on them the cheapest in the world.
zone tariff n.
ΚΠ
1891 Econ. Jrnl. 1 507 A system of zone tariffs.
1902 Encycl. Brit. XXXII. 153/2 A zone-tariff system..whereby the country is mapped out into zones, and the traveller pays according to the number of these he passes through.
(b) (In sense 5.)
zone-clock n.
ΚΠ
1795 W. Herschel in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 85 398 It would not only be trouble~some to the workman, but often bring on mistakes, were he to count the turns of the handle, which perhaps for hours together he is moving; a zone-clock, therefore, has been contrived to release him from that care... It strikes a bell..when the telescope is come to one of the limits of the zone.
zone-piece n.
ΚΠ
1795 W. Herschel in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 85 385 A zone-piece, to point out the required limits of the intended zones.
zone-reticle n.
ΚΠ
1877 G. F. Chambers Handbk. Descr. Astron. (ed. 3) vii. i. 632 Observers..will find a ‘zone reticle’ of great service.
(c) (In sense 8b.)
zone-axis n.
ΚΠ
1878 H. P. Gurney Crystallogr. 22 The zone, the zone axis, and the zone plane are all denoted by the same symbol, namely (U V W).
zone-circle n.
ΚΠ
1878 H. P. Gurney Crystallogr. 32 The poles of all the faces in the same zone will lie in the same zone circle.
zone-plane n.
ΚΠ
1878 H. P. Gurney Crystallogr. 22 The plane to which they [sc. the edges of the crystal] are all perpendicular is called the zone plane.
(d)
zone-mind n.
ΚΠ
1932 E. Blunden Halfway House 55 When gong-like struck The violent crisis of zone-minds That chilled us with clouds turned winds.
b.
zone centre n. spec. in Telephony an exchange which acts as a main switching centre in an area containing a number of exchange groups.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > telecommunication > telegraphy or telephony > telephony > telephone equipment > [noun] > exchange
telephone exchange1878
local exchange1879
call office1882
central1883
exchange1887
private branch exchange1904
PBX1914
zone centre1934
1934 G. S. Berkeley Traffic & Trunking Princ. Automatic Telephony i. 12 Level 94..is used for trunk calls instead of level o in the case of exchanges in Trunk Zone Centres.
1948 J. Atkinson Herbert & Procter's Teleph. I. xii. 234/2 The group centre extends the call to the zone centre where it is routed to the distant zone centre exchange.
1960 R. Syski Introd. Congestion Theory Teleph. Syst. ii. 53 A suitable exchange (zone centre) is established within each zone to handle the long-distance calls to and from that zone.
1971 Gloss. Electrotechnical, Power Terms (B.S.I.) iii. ii. 8 Zone centre, exchange acting as the main switching centre.
zone defence n. (U.S.zone defense) American Football and Basketball a system of defensive play whereby each player guards an allotted portion of the field of play.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > basketball > [noun] > types of play
zone1927
zone defence1927
press1945
ankle-breaker2001
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > American football > [noun] > actions or manoeuvres
rush1857
punt-out1861
goal-kicking1871
safety1879
safety touchdown1879
scrimmage1880
rushing1882
safety touch1884
touchback1884
forward pass1890
run1890
blocking1891
signal1891
fake1893
onside kick1895
tandem-play1895
pass play1896
spiral1896
shift1901
end run1902
straight-arm1903
quarterback sneak1904
runback1905
roughing1906
Minnesota shift1910
quarterbacking1910
snap-back1910
pickoff1912
punt return1914
screen forward pass1915
screen pass1920
power play1921
sneak1921
passback1922
snap1922
defence1923
reverse1924
carry1927
lateral1927
stiff-arm1927
zone1927
zone defence1927
submarine charge1928
squib1929
block1931
pass rushing1933
safetying1933
trap play1933
end-around1934
straight-arming1934
trap1935
mousetrap1936
buttonhook1938
blitzing1940
hand-off1940
pitchout1946
slant1947
strike1947
draw play1948
shovel pass1948
bootleg1949
option1950
red dog1950
red-dogging1951
rollout1951
submarine1952
sleeper pass1954
draw1956
bomb1960
swing pass1960
pass rush1962
blitz1963
spearing1964
onsides kick1965
takeaway1967
quarterback sack1968
smash-mouth1968
veer1968
turn-over1969
bump-and-run1970
scramble1971
sack1972
nose tackle1975
nickel1979
pressure1981
1927Zone defense [see sense 2d].
1929 H. C. Carlson You & Basket Ball vi. 128 Zone defense, in which each individual is responsible for a certain zone.
1937 F. C. Allen Better Basketball xviii. 291 It is to be noticed in charting these penetrating offensive plays against a zone defense that the setup of the offense is identical with that used in penetrating the man-for-man defense.
1970 G. Sullivan Pro Football A to Z 341 Zone defense, a type of pass defense in which each of the three linebackers and four deep backs is assigned to cover a specific area of the field. Zone defense contrasts with man-to-man defense.
zone electrophoresis n. electrophoresis in which a solid but porous medium such as paper is used to ensure that the components remain separated in zones or bands according to their differing electrophoretic mobilities.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > laboratory analysis > processes > [noun] > treatment with electricity
voltage clamp1952
zone electrophoresis1952
voltage-clamping1981
the world > matter > chemistry > chemical assay or analytical chemistry > [noun] > acetimetry > electrophoresis
zone electrophoresis1952
1952 Proc. Soc. Exper. Biol. & Med. 80 42 (heading) Zone electrophoresis in a starch supporting medium.
1964 G. H. Haggis et al. Introd. Molecular Biol. ii. 23 (caption) The separation of some of the human plasma proteins by zone electrophoresis.
1975 Davis & Simpkins in Williams & Wilson Biologist's Guide to Princ. & Techniques Pract. Biochem. iv. 100 A common feature of the use of all supporting media is that the substances migrate as distinct zones which at the end of the analysis can be readily detected by suitable analytical techniques... The term zone electrophoresis has been applied to this method.
zone fossil n. Geology a fossil characteristic of a particular zone or belt of strata.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > organism > fossil > [noun] > characteristic of specific strata
index fossil1900
zone fossil1904
facies fauna1923
facies fossil1923
1904 Edinb. Rev. Jan. 219 The study..of strata characterised by the dominance of a zone-fossil forms zonal geology.
1969 G. M. Bennison & A. E. Wright Geol. Hist. Brit. Isles ii. 23 It may be possible to recognize a zone without actually finding a specimen of the zone fossil itself if other highly characteristic species are found.
1975 J. G. Evans Environment Early Man Brit. Isles iii. 69 Evolution needed the temporal and biological continuum which Lyell's theory made possible. And from this came the concept of the ‘zone fossil’.
zone level v. (transitive) .
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > work with metal [verb (transitive)] > refine > by specific method
calcinec1386
calcinate1559
calcinize1606
cupel1644
decrepitate1646
scorify1755
cupellate18..
retort1850
liquate1864
star1886
zone-refine1962
zone level1974
zone-melt1982
1974 Jrnl. Physics D 7 33 The mixed alloy was then placed in a porcelain boat and zone-levelled by passing through 10–15 zones.
zone-levelled adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > metal in specific state or form > [adjective] > refined > in specific way
calcined1583
calcinated1606
calcinate1610
concocted1647
cupelled1755
decrepitated1765
zone-levelled1956
zone-refined1956
1956 Bell Syst. Techn. Jrnl. 35 657 p fluctuations in zone leveled material are generally coarse.
zone leveller n. an apparatus used for zone levelling.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > metalworking equipment > [noun] > zone refiner
zone leveller1956
zone refiner1959
1956 Bell Syst. Techn. Jrnl. 35 660 A zone leveler has been developed to provide growth conditions suitable for the production of quality germanium single crystals.
zone levelling n. a process similar to zone refining in which the molten zone is passed repeatedly to and fro to produce a more homogeneous material.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > [noun] > refining > methods of
calcinationc1386
calciningc1386
liquation1471
fulmination1617
cupelling1644
decrepitating1662
decrepitation1669
fulguration1676
concentration1689
cupellationa1691
scorification1755
affination1851
thermite process1905
zone melting1952
zone refining1952
zone levelling1953
1953 W. G. Pfann in Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining & Metall. Engineers CXCIV. 752/1 The discussion of zone-melting has been confined to the categories of zone-leveling and zone-refining.
1978 P. W. Atkins Physical Chem. x. 301 A modification of the technique, zone levelling, is used to introduce controlled amounts of impurity (for example, indium into germanium).
zone-melt v. (transitive) .
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > work with metal [verb (transitive)] > refine > by specific method
calcinec1386
calcinate1559
calcinize1606
cupel1644
decrepitate1646
scorify1755
cupellate18..
retort1850
liquate1864
star1886
zone-refine1962
zone level1974
zone-melt1982
1982 Materials Lett. I. 33/2 Dielectrically isolated single crystals of large extent may be fabricated by zone melting a thin silicon sheet that is encapsulated between SiO2 layers.
zone melting n. = zone refining n. below.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > [noun] > refining > methods of
calcinationc1386
calciningc1386
liquation1471
fulmination1617
cupelling1644
decrepitating1662
decrepitation1669
fulguration1676
concentration1689
cupellationa1691
scorification1755
affination1851
thermite process1905
zone melting1952
zone refining1952
zone levelling1953
1952 W. G. Pfann in Jrnl. Metals IV. 747/1 A number of procedures will be indicated which have in common the traversal of a relatively long charge of solid alloy by a small molten zone. Such methods will be denoted by the general term zone-melting.
1965 C. S. G. Phillips & R. J. P. Williams Inorg. Chem. I. viii. 305 All such techniques as precipitation, partition, distillation, crystallization, chromatography, and zone-melting are based on phase equilibria.
1983 Rev. Sci. Instruments LIV. 385/2 The use of the heater assembly in the specific case of zone melting of mercury cadmium telluride compounds is described.
zone plate n. a plate of glass marked out into concentric zones or rings alternately transparent and opaque, used like a lens to bring light to a focus.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > optical instruments > lens > [noun] > plate of glass used like a lens
zone plate1890
1890 T. Preston Theory of Light ix. 178 A zone plate has therefore the power of a condensing lens.
1937 G. S. Monk Light xii. 167 The intensity of the image produced with a zone plate will be greater if alternate zones are not blocked out but are left transmitting, with a phase difference of one half period introduced between them and adjacent zones.
1978 Sci. Amer. Nov. 65/1 When the zone plate is illuminated with an X-ray plane wave, a converging spherical wave will come out.
zone-refine v. (transitive) .
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > work with metal [verb (transitive)] > refine > by specific method
calcinec1386
calcinate1559
calcinize1606
cupel1644
decrepitate1646
scorify1755
cupellate18..
retort1850
liquate1864
star1886
zone-refine1962
zone level1974
zone-melt1982
1962 New Scientist 5 Apr. 813/2 To zone-refine and produce single crystals from such [refractory] materials, N. V. Philips's Gloeilampenfabrieken, Eindhoven,..has developed a carbon-arc image furnace.
1978 P. W. Atkins Physical Chem. x. 301 Bismuth is normally regarded as a hard, brittle metal, yet when it has been zone refined it forms rods which can be bent without fracture.
zone-refined adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > metal in specific state or form > [adjective] > refined > in specific way
calcined1583
calcinated1606
calcinate1610
concocted1647
cupelled1755
decrepitated1765
zone-levelled1956
zone-refined1956
1956 W. G. Pfann in Chem. & Engin. News 34 1443/3 F. Montariol and coworkers..found that zone-refined aluminum cannot be hardened by cold-working.
1983 Metall. Trans. A. XIV. 223/2 Straining electrode experiments were performed in zone refined and vacuum melted nickel alloys.
zone refiner n. an apparatus used for zone refining.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > metalworking equipment > [noun] > zone refiner
zone leveller1956
zone refiner1959
1959 Times 24 Nov. 19/7 It will be possible to obtain high quality single-crystal rods after a few passes in the zone-refiner.
1980 Analyt. Chem. 52 1738/1 A novel zone refiner is described, in which a single helical heater rotates in an annular sample space.
zone refining n. a method of refining used to produce semiconductors and metals of very high purity by causing narrow zones of molten material to travel slowly along an otherwise solid rod or bar, so that impurities become concentrated at one end or the other if their solubilities in the liquid and the solid phases differ.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > [noun] > refining > methods of
calcinationc1386
calciningc1386
liquation1471
fulmination1617
cupelling1644
decrepitating1662
decrepitation1669
fulguration1676
concentration1689
cupellationa1691
scorification1755
affination1851
thermite process1905
zone melting1952
zone refining1952
zone levelling1953
1952 W. G. Pfann in Jrnl. Metals IV. 750/2 The particular merit of zone-refining becomes evident when repeated crystallizations are desired.
1973 J. G. Tweeddale Materials Technol. I. vi. 152 Probably the most effective and generally used method of refining to this kind of standard is zone refining.
zone therapy n. a technique in which different parts of the feet (or palms) are massaged to relieve conditions in different parts of the body with which they are held to be associated.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > physiotherapy > [noun] > massage > techniques involving
lomi-lomi1850
fulling1868
anma1891
Swedish massage1911
reflexology1913
reflex therapy1916
zone therapy1917
structural integration1963
postural integration1968
Rolfing1970
tui na1979
Hellerwork1981
1917 W. H. FitzGerald Zone Therapy xvi. 157 Dr. Roemer..examined him in a characteristic zone therapy way. He searched the patient's fingers with a metal comb to find out what was the matter with his teeth.
1971 N. Saunders Alternative London xv. 123 Zone Therapy is based on the premise that one zone of the body acts as a microcosm of the whole.
1979 D. E. Bayly in A. Hill Visual Encycl. of Unconventional Med. 61 The origin of the reflex method is obscure. It is said that it came from China to the West... It is known to have been used by the natives of Kenya, and also by some American Indian tribes. At the beginning of this century it was called zone therapy by one Dr Fitzgerald [sic] in America who used it as a form of anaesthesia to render the patient insensible to pain when performing small operations, and to ease childbirth.
zone time n. mean solar time at the standard meridian on which the local time zone is based, taken as the standard time throughout the zone (cf. Zulu time at Zulu n. and adj. 6).
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > reckoning of time > [noun] > systems of reckoning time of day
time1646
apparent time1694
local timea1703
Greenwich Mean Time1782
sun time1837
GMT1840
railway time1847
railroad time1849
Greenwich time1861
Eastern time1878
Pacific time1880
Universal Time1882
Eastern Standard Time1883
Mountain time1883
British Standard Time1908
daylight saving1908
zone time1908
LMT1909
British Summer Time1916
summertime1916
U.T.1929
B.S.T.1930
EST1935
British Double Summer Time1941
war time1942
B.D.S.T.1943
ephemeris time1950
1908 H. B. Morse Trade Chinese Empire viii. 203 The Eighteen Provinces roughly extend from..longitude 98° to 122° E., comprising the seventh and eighth hours of the Zone time east of Greenwich.
1930 Daily Express 16 Aug. 1/3 The passengers wonder whether they should retire by Greenwich or zone time.
1981 G. Watkins Exercises in Astro-navigation ii. 22 A vessel's chronometer or watch is not generally adjusted or altered at any time while the vessel is at sea, but her clock is altered as she moves through each zone in such a way that it should always be indicating the correct Zone Time for the vessel's position.
C2. Objective, instrumental, parasynthetic, etc.
zone-confounding adj.
ΚΠ
1890 Punch 28 June p. iv The yellow pod-flowers and the waving palms, the vermeil apples and the primrosed banks, of Camoens' somewhat zone-confounding vision.
zone-like adj.
ΚΠ
1598 J. Marston Scourge of Villanie i. i. sig. B8 When chast Dictinna, breakes the Zonelike twist.
zone-tailed adj.
ΚΠ
1809 G. Shaw Gen. Zool. VII. 62 Zone-tailed Eagle.
Draft additions July 2002
colloquial (originally U.S. Sport). A state of perfect concentration leading to optimum mental or physical performance. Chiefly with the, esp. in in the zone.
ΚΠ
1976 San Francisco Chron. 27 Oct. 47/1 Tennis players speak reverently of the mystical atmospheric condition known as ‘The Zone’. Passing shots chip away at the lines, first serves pop in and mistakes simply don't materialize. Arthur Ashe's experience in The Zone during his last Wimbledon championship bordered on the surreal.
1990 New Age Jrnl. Apr. 119/1 Performers, surgeons, or creative artists..find that most important parts of their lives occur when they are ‘in the zone’.
1995 Denver Post 5 Mar. b10/1 Kitt is in a zone, one of those feel-I-can't-lose mind-sets that can propel an athlete to a series of successes.
1997 K. Loggins & J. Loggins Unimaginable Life vii. 253 I feel ideas for the ceremony are pouring out of me and this is the best writing I've done in a long time. After all these years as a writer, I can tell when I'm in the zone, and this is the zone.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1921; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
zonev.
/zəʊn/, U.S. /zoʊn/, West African English /zon/ 1. transitive. To furnish with, or surround like, a zone or girdle; to gird, encircle.
ΘΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > surrounding > surround or lie around [verb (transitive)]
befong971
beclipc1000
begoc1000
belieOE
bestandc1000
to go about ——OE
umbegangc1200
behema1250
befallc1275
berunc1275
girdc1290
bihalvena1300
umlapa1300
umlaya1300
umlouka1300
umbegoc1300
belayc1320
halsea1340
enclose1340
umbelapa1350
embracec1360
betrendc1374
circlec1374
umbecasta1375
to give about1382
environa1393
umbeclipa1395
compassa1400
encircle?a1400
enourle?a1400
umbegivea1400
umbeseta1400
umbeliec1400
umbetighc1400
enroundc1420
measurec1425
umbsteadc1450
adviron?1473
purprise1481
umbeviron1489
belta1500
girtha1500
overgirda1500
engirt15..
envirea1513
round?a1513
brace1513
umbereach1513
becompass1520
circuea1533
girtc1540
umbsetc1540
circule1553
encompass1555
circulate?a1560
ingyre1568
to do about1571
engird1573
circumdate1578
succinge1578
employ1579
circuate1581
girdle1582
wheel1582
circumgyre1583
enring1589
ringa1592
embail1593
enfold1596
invier1596
stem1596
circumcingle1599
ingert1599
engirdle1602
circulize1603
circumscribe1605
begirt1608
to go round1610
enwheela1616
surround1616
shingle1621
encirculize1624
circumviron1632
beround1643
orba1644
circumference1646
becircle1648
incircuitc1650
circumcinge1657
circumtend1684
besiege1686
cincture1789
zone1795
cravat1814
encincture1820
circumvent1824
begirdle1837
perambulate1863
cordon1891
1795 Monthly Rev. Dec. 542 Her population..had zoned every hill with vines and with olive-trees.
1795 A. Seward Lett. (1811) IV. 105 Our road zoned the midway of the Alpine steeps which overhung it.
1813 W. Scott Bridal of Triermain ii. iv. 59 Art she invokes to Nature's aid, Her vest to zone, her locks to braid.
1818 J. Keats Endymion ii. 80 I could hear he lov'd Some fair immortal, and that his embrace Had zoned her through the night.
1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. (1856) xxviii. 237 The southeastern horizon is zoned with a mellow uniform band of light.
2. Natural History. To mark with zones, rings, or bands of colour. (Only in past participle)
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > colour > variegation > ring of colour > mark with rings of colour [verb (transitive)]
zone1792
1792 W. Withering Brit. Plants (ed. 2) III. 433 Auricularia papyrina... Annual, membranaceous, soft, zoned.
1854 J. D. Dana Min. (ed. 4) II. 148 Egyptian Jasper is zoned with colors, and forms nodules.
1871 C. Darwin Descent of Man ii. xiv. 131 A variety of the common pigeon with the wing-bars symmetrically zoned with three bright shades.
3. Geology, etc. To divide into zones; to distribute or arrange in zones: see zone n. 7.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > [verb (transitive)] > distribute or arrange in zones
zone1904
1904 Edinb. Rev. Jan. 222 The Ordovician and Silurian rocks have been zoned by means of their graptolites.
4. Town Planning. To divide (a city, land, etc.) into areas subject to particular planning restrictions; to designate (a specific area) for use or development in this manner. Occasionally intransitive. Also (U.S.) const. out, to forbid (the siting of an enterprise) in a given area. Originally U.S.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > [verb (transitive)] > plan or develop > divide into specific areas
zone1916
upzone1952
downzone1957
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > [verb (transitive)] > plan or develop > divide into specific areas > forbid (development) in specific area
zone1975
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > [verb (intransitive)] > of land: be divided into specific areas
zone1976
1916 N.Y. Times 4 Feb. 17/2 The plan to zone the city and regulate the height of buildings.
1919 Argus (Melbourne) 28 Aug. 6 The question of ‘zoning’ the metropolitan area, or separating the city into districts, in order that regulations may be applied to control the erection of shops and factories near residential sites, has recently been occupying the attention of the Melbourne City Council.
1934 W. H. Heath in E. Betham House Building 1934–6 xviii. 180 There is practically no area around London that is zoned in a reasonable manner.
1939 H. M. Lewis City Planning xvi. 169 All the frontage of main streets was placed in business zones although..only a small fraction of areas so zoned can ever be used for that purpose.
1967 Boston Sunday Herald 26 Mar. i. 9/4 Planners..are concerned that a community will be thoughtfully zoned overall.
1971 P. Gresswell Environment 267 There is no guarantee that land zoned for housing will be released by the landowners.
1975 N.Y. Times 16 Oct. 29/1 A law that would ‘zone out’ massage parlors from the Times Square area on the principle that their proliferation is not sound community planning.
1976 National Observer (U.S.) 14 Aug. 7/2 When a municipality zones for industry and commerce for local tax benefits..it..must zone to permit adequate housing within the means of the employes involved in such uses.
1977 Chicago Tribune Mag. 2 Oct. 8/2 At that time, which was before horse racing was zoned out of the city, the track was on Stony Island Avenue near 63rd Street.
1978 J. Updike Coup (1979) vii. 274 The land, they say, is zoned for agribusiness.
5. To restrict the distribution of (a commodity) to a designated area; used spec. concerning the allocation of foodstuffs in the war of 1939–45.
ΘΠ
the mind > possession > giving > distributing or dealing out > distribute or deal out [verb (transitive)] > by zone
zone1942
1942 Hansard Lords 3 June 103 We have arranged that the deliveries of bread shall be zoned.
1945 Daily Herald 31 Aug. 2/1 (advt.) Cyder, like many other things, is now zoned to save transport and labour.
1952 Ann. Reg. 1951 394 The Group scheme of the National Film Finance Corporation has been announced. This ‘zoned’ a considerable proportion of British production.
Derivatives
ˈzoner n. one employed in the application of planning restrictions to particular areas.
ΘΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > [noun] > town-planning or development > dividing into or assigning to specific areas > one who
zoner1962
1962 Punch 6 June 848/2 Planners and zoners won't apparently make up their minds.
1976 Daily Tel. 4 Apr. 3/6 This district contains about 1,000 homes approved by town zoners..after they were assured restrictive deed clauses would make the district a ‘permanent adult community’.
ˈzoning adj.
ΘΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > surrounding > [adjective]
circumjacent1490
circumstant1545
circumvoisin1548
environing?a1560
encompassing1571
ambient1572
succingent1578
embracing1590
circling1594
girdling1598
circumdant1600
rounding1600
all round?1611
circumferent1620
circumsistent1625
circuiting1632
circulating1632
encircling1632
surrounding1637
begirting1645
circumambient1648
circumstantial1650
girding1658
skirtingc1735
entwining1737
circumadjacent1780
belting1808
engirdling1843
encyclic1850
engirding1852
zoning1853
roundaboutc1860
begirding1877
wraparound1957
1853 A. Smith Life Drama ii When first they clasped a Son of God..In zoning heaven of their milky arms.
1865 Ld. Tennyson On a Mourner v When the zoning eve has died.
Draft additions March 2006
intransitive. colloquial. to zone in: to head directly for something; to focus or concentrate especially on something. Chiefly with on, to. Cf. home v. 5a, hone v.4
ΚΠ
1958 Listener 18 Sept. 416/2 We were all getting breakfast..and, bang, another one [sc. hurricane] zoned in.
1972 R. Crawford Whip Hand i. v. 25 He could not hope to zone in even on the secondary target.
1977 N.Y. Times 29 Jan. 13 He talks about ‘zoning in’ on things.
1990 Savvy Woman May 52/1 Videos are also zoning in on hair color.
2004 Independent 14 Sept. 3/4 Zoning in to the jet-set lifestyle should leave you sneering about the boringness of the rich.
Draft additions July 2002
intransitive. U.S. slang. [Probably after zoned adj.] With out. To relax, to switch off, to detach oneself mentally from one's surroundings; (also) to lose concentration or consciousness, to fall asleep.
ΚΠ
1970 ‘N. Stoogeling’ in J. Eisen Twenty-minute Fandangos & Forever Changes (1971) 199 It is time for me to go back to the solitude of my record player and listen to my four copies of Fun House... I can just lay there and zone out.
1982 N.Y. Times 28 Nov. v. 5/1 The highlight of my week was to go..to Ranger games. It had nothing to do with my profession. I could just sit there and zone out.
1989 N.Y. Woman Nov. 84/2 I tried to start up a conversation with a woman on a nearby machine, but she appeared to have zoned out.
1990 Quarterly (U.S.) Winter 83 I'm bushed. I'm beat. I need an hour or so to zone out, to rest myself in this deluxe suite.
2000 M. Gladwell Tipping Point 100 ‘The idea was that kids would sit, stare at the [television] screen, and zone out,’ said Elizabeth Lorch, a psychologist at Amherst College.
Draft additions December 2019
transitive. Nigerian English. To allocate a nomination for (a political office) to a candidate from a particular region, under the zoning system: see zoning n. Additions. Also with the candidate as object of the verb. Usually in passive.Frequently with to, indicating the region to which a nomination is allocated.
ΚΠ
1981 C. Okadigbo Mission of NPN 98 At the National Level, the following officers shall be zoned; namely, the Office of the National Chairman, the President, the Vice-President, President and Deputy President of the Senate, National Secretary, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
1988 S. E. Oyovbaire in O. Oyediran Surv. Nigerian Affairs 1978–9 I. vii. 89 The local..ministerial candidate..was already zoned to a particular areal community in that state.
2019 Nigerian Tribune (Nexis) 14 Feb. The chairmanship position was zoned to Osun-Ogbomoso.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1921; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.a1500
v.1792