Zombie

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Zombie

[zom-bee]

Examples Word Origin

noun

1.

the body of a dead person given the semblance of life, but mute and will-less, by a supernatural force, usually for some evil purpose.

the supernatural force itself.

2.

Informal.

a person whose behavior or responses are wooden, listless, or seemingly rote; automaton.

an eccentric or peculiar person.

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Origin of zombie Expand

KongoKimbundu

1810-18201810-20; apparently < Kongo or Kimbundu nzambi god

Related forms Expand

zombiism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged

Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2015.

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Examples from the web for zombie Expand

As Brad Pitt battles zombie hordes, an unusual new take on the zombie novel has just appeared on bookshelves.

Zombies, Zombies, Everywhere: What’s a Novelist to Do? J.T. Price June 20, 2013 

Photographers snapped the moment, and the freeze frame was lovingly titled “ zombie McCain.”

7 Worst Presidential-Debate Blunders (Video) Brittany Jones-Cooper November 9, 2011 

Megan clearly reminds him of Penny, the daughter he lost and kept locked away even after she turned into a zombie.

Will the Governor and Carol Join Forces? The Walking Dead’s David Morrissey Says It’s a Good Theory Melissa Leon November 17, 2013 

British Dictionary definitions for zombie Expand

zombie

/ˈzɒmbɪ/

noun (pl) -bies, -bis

1.

a person who is or appears to be lifeless, apathetic, or totally lacking in independent judgment; automaton

2.

a supernatural spirit that reanimates a dead body

3.

a corpse brought to life in this manner

4.

the snake god of voodoo cults in the West Indies, esp Haiti, and in scattered areas of the southern US

5.

the python god revered in parts of West Africa

6.

a piece of computer code that instructs an infected computer to send a virus on to other computer systems

Derived Forms

zombiism, noun

Word Origin

from Kongo zumbi good-luck fetish

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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition

© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins

Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Word Origin and History for zombie Expand

n.

1871, of West African origin (cf. Kikongo zumbi "fetish;" Kimbundu nzambi "god"), originally the name of a snake god, later with meaning "reanimated corpse" in voodoo cult. But perhaps also from Louisiana creole word meaning "phantom, ghost," from Spanish sombra "shade, ghost." Sense "slow-witted person" is recorded from 1936.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

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Slang definitions & phrases for zombie Expand

zoftig

adjective

Sexually appealing or arousing to males, esp in a plump and well-rounded way; curvaceous; built like a brick shithouse: zoftig, pleasantly plump and pretty/ The legs of the Red Suit are cut so high and deep, even the leanest female bum looks like a zaftig peach

[1937+; fr Yiddish, literally ''juicy'']

The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.

Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.

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zombie in Technology Expand

1. zombie process. 

2. A ghost. 

[Jargon File] 

(1997-10-08) 

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org

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