zeal · noun — the fervour or tireless devotion for a person, cause, or ideal and determination in its furtherance; diligent enthusiasm; powerful interest. It carries an Arena rating of 1859, earned across 25 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, zeal ranks #166 of 17,162 for Most Elegant Words, #417 of 17,187 for Most Malleable Words, #4,163 of 17,163 for Most Beautiful Words, #5,651 of 17,188 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
zeal is pronounced /ziːl/.
Why “zeal” is a great word
Fervent and tireless devotion or enthusiasm for a person, cause, or ideal. From Middle English zele, from Old French zel, from Late Latin zēlus, from Ancient Greek ζῆλος (zêlos, 'zeal, jealousy'), from Proto-Indo-European *yeh₂- ('to search'). Unlike 'passion,' which suggests a powerful, often overwhelming emotion that can be fleeting or unfocused, or 'apathy,' which denotes a blank absence of concern, zeal implies a sustained, diligent ardor directed toward a specific aim. It is the calloused hand gripping a pen at 3 a.m., the monk transcribing manuscripts until his fingers stain with ink, and the unyielding grip on a banner in a howling wind—devotion not as firestorm, but as embers that refuse the dark.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Middle English zele, from Old French zel, from Late Latin zēlus, from Ancient Greek ζῆλος (zêlos, “zeal, jealousy”), from Proto-Indo-European *yeh₂- (“to search”). Related to jealous.
noun
- The fervour or tireless devotion for a person, cause, or ideal and determination in its furtherance; diligent enthusiasm; powerful interest.e.g.“She extols the virtues of veganism with missionary zeal.”
- A person who exhibits such fervour or tireless devotion.e.g.“[…] like a malicious purblinde zeale as thou art!” — 1614, Ben Jonson, Bartholomew Fair, London: Robert Allot, act v, scene 5, page 85:
- A group of zebras.e.g.“A zeal of zebras confuses predators. Each zebra has a different set of stripes.” — 2012, Alex Kuskowski, Zeal of Zebras: Animal Groups on an African Safari, →ISBN, page 8:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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