zest
/zɛst/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.19 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Enthusiasm; keen enjoyment; exciting and interesting; relish or gusto; a state of being zesty.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
State of being a flamboyant or effeminate homosexual.
Countable; Derogatory; Slang; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The orange zest gives the strong flavor in this dish."
- "I add zest to the meat by rubbing it with a spice mixture before grilling."
- "He rolled his own cigarettes from a sack of Bull Durham, spilling flakes into his beer, which no doubt gained in zest thereby."
- "Bashele’s dishes tasted as good as they had when I was a child. No one could give to the borscht such a sweet-and-sour zest as Bashele."
- "Auntie Mame had a real zest for life."
- "1728, Edward Young, Love of Fame, the Universal Passion, Satire II in The Works of the Reverend Edward Young, London: P. Brown, H. Hill & S. Payne, 1765, Volume I, p. 85, Almighty vanity! to thee they owe Their zest of pleasure, and their balm of woe."
Etymology
Borrowed from French zeste.
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
- Root: zeste