Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

zouave

/zuˈɑv/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.35 in modern English

Syllables
Zou-ave
IPA
/zuˈɑv/
18
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

One of a body of soldiers in the French service, originally Kabyle, but now composed of Frenchmen who wear the Kabyle dress.

noun

One of a body of soldiers who adopt the dress and drill of the Zouaves in French service, as was done by a number of volunteer regiments in the army of the United States in the Civil War (1861–65).

noun

a French soldier in the Union army of the Unites States civil war, or a Union soldier in a French soldier's uniform.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From French, from Arabic زَوَاوِيّ (zawāwiyy), used to refer to a Kabyle soldier, especially of the Igawawen people.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: -, زَوَاوِيّ

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /zuˈɑv/
  • British English: /zuːˈɑːv/

Inflected Forms

Phrases

zouave jacket zouave pants

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce zouave?
The recorded pronunciation is /zuˈɑv/.
What does zouave mean?
One of a body of soldiers in the French service, originally Kabyle, but now composed of Frenchmen who wear the Kabyle dress.
Where does zouave come from?
It is traced to French.

How to pronounce zouave

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “zouave”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/zuˈɑv/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “zouave”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “zouave” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.