izzard


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iz·zard

 (ĭz′ərd)
n. Informal
The letter z.

[Probably variant of Scots ezed, variant of zed.]
Word History: The curious and charming word izzard, meaning "the letter z," is practically limited to certain fixed expressions in American vernacular English, such as from A to izzard, "from beginning to end," and not to know A from izzard, "not to know even the most basic things." The English lexicographer Samuel Johnson mentions the word izzard as part of his attempt to explain the sound of the letter z in the grammar of English he placed at the beginning of his Dictionary of the English Language, published in 1755: Z begins no word originally English; it has the sound, as its name izzard ... expresses, of an s uttered with a closer compression of the palate. In Johnson's time, a variant name for the letter z, uzzard, was also in use. Izzard and uzzard are related to zed, the usual name of the letter z in British English. In Scottish English, z was also once known as ezed, and this form gives us a clue to a possible origin of izzard. The name may have developed from the phrase pronounced at the end of a recitation of the alphabet in Old French, et zede, "and zed" ("and zee" in American English). The Old French word for the letter z, zede, descends from Late Latin zēta, and the Late Latin word itself goes back to the name used by the Greeks for their letter ζ, zēta.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

izzard

(ˈɪzəd)
n
archaic the letter Z
[C18: from earlier ezed, probably from Old French et zède, literally: and zed]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

iz•zard

(ˈɪz ərd)

n. Chiefly Dial.
the letter z.
[1730–40; alter. of zed]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.izzard - the 26th letter of the Roman alphabet; "the British call Z zed and the Scots call it ezed but Americans call it zee"; "he doesn't know A from izzard"
Latin alphabet, Roman alphabet - the alphabet evolved by the ancient Romans which serves for writing most of the languages of western Europe
alphabetic character, letter of the alphabet, letter - the conventional characters of the alphabet used to represent speech; "his grandmother taught him his letters"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in periodicals archive ?
LOUGHBOROUGH triathletes Barclay Izzard and Ben Dijkstra were in action at the European Traiathlon Championship in Weert, Holland at the weekend, with Izzard just edged out of a place on the podium.
EDDIE'S WONDERFUL TOUR RETURN EDDIE IZZARD is looking forward to touring with his new comedy show, Wunderbar, later this year.
COMEDIAN Eddie Izzard says there will be another Brexit vote as "there's a lot of angry people out there".
Six Minutes to Midnight, which stars Dame Judi Dench and Eddie Izzard, is being filmed in Wales.
Six Minutes to Midnight, which starsDame Judi Denchand Eddie Izzard, is being filmed in Wales and many of the film's scenes have been shot in Carmarthenshire over the past few weeks.
Eddie Izzard will be the comedy headliner at the 2018 KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival this fall.<br />Izzard will perform his Believe Me show on Sept.
COMEDIAN Eddie Izzard has said that Labour needed to "make amends" to the Jewish community as leader Jeremy Corbyn came under intensifying pressure to take early action to tackle anti-Semitism in the party amid fresh claims of abuse by his supporters.
Comedian and activist Eddie Izzard has marked his arrival on Labour's ruling national executive committee by saying the "stain of antisemitism" present among "a minority" of members has to be removed.
EDDIE Izzard is replacing Labour's antisemitism row official on the party's ruling committee.
EDDIE IZZARD was forced to give chase in high heels while at a protest in London - when his pink beret was snatched from his head.
COMEDIAN Eddie Izzard was forced to give chase in high heels while at a protest in London when his pink beret was snatched from his head.
Eddie Izzard is urging fans and supporters to elect him to the&nbsp;National Executive Committee&nbsp;for the United Kingdom's&nbsp;Labour Party.&nbsp;The stand-up comedian and actor took to his Twitter&nbsp;Friday to encourage voters to consider him in the September&nbsp;(http://labourlist.org/2016/07/labours-nec-race-clp-nominations/) contes t that elects members of&nbsp;the&nbsp;chief administrative body for the nation's leading opposition party.