zebra

(brə; Brit, & often Cdn, zeb)

noun pl. zebras or zebra

  1. any of several swift African perissodactylous mammals (family Equidae) of the same genus (Equus) as the horse and ass, having dark stripes on a white or tawny body
  2. a butterfly (Heliconius charitonius) with black wings crossed by several yellowish bands
  3. Sports, Slang a referee who wears a vertically striped black-and-white shirt

Origin: Port, zebra, earlier used of a wild ass (now extinct): said to be of Congolese orig., but prob. ult. < L equiferus, wild horse < equus (see hippo-) + ferus (see fierce)

Related Forms:

See zebra in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
  1. Any of several swift, wild, horselike African mammals of the genus Equus, having distinctive overall markings of alternating white and black or brown stripes.
  2. Any of various striped organisms, such as the zebra butterfly.
  3. A referee in football.

Origin:

Origin: Italian

Origin: , from Old Portuguese zevro, zevra, wild ass

Origin: . Sense 3, from the referee's striped shirt

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