zebra

Meaning

Noun

1. (feminine) zebra
2. (Brazil, feminine, slang) A victorious competitor initially thought unlikely to win, especially in sports; an underdog
3. (Brazil, feminine, slang) an unexpected result in a competition
4. (Brazil, derogatory, feminine) idiot, stupid person
5. (Brazil, feminine, informal) prison uniform
6. (Portugal, feminine, informal) zebra crossing
7. (Portugal, feminine, informal) vice, a bad habit
8. (feminine) a type of lanky spinning top
9. (feminine) curb (line of flat curbstones on the corners of racing tracks)
10. (feminine) zebra pattern
11. (feminine, obsolete) cow

Verb

1. (form-of, indicative, present, singular, third-person) inflection of zebrar:
2. (form-of, imperative, second-person, singular) inflection of zebrar:

zebrar

1. (transitive) to stripe, as in a zebra pattern
2. (Brazil, informal, intransitive) to go wrong

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Concepts

zebra

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zebras

Equus burchelli

perissodactyl

Synonyms

Equus burchelli

Zebra

Translations

zèbre

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Zebra

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cebra

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zebra

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zebra

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ζέβρα

zebra

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zebra

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ζέβρος

όναγρος

equus zebra

zèbre

حمار الزرد

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zebra

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈze.bɾɐ/

Etymology

Inherited from Latin: equiferus

Cognate with Spanish: cebra

In summary

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₁eḱ-
Proto-Indo-European *h₁éḱwos
Proto-Italic *ekwos
Latin equus
Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰwer-der.
Proto-Italic *feros
Latin ferus
Latin equiferus
Old Galician-Portuguese zevro
Portuguese zebra
From zebro, from Old Galician-Portuguese zevro (“European wild ass”), from Vulgar Latin *eciferus, from Latin equiferus (“wild horse”), from equus (“horse”) + ferus (“wild”). Compare Spanish cebra.
Senses 2 and 3 of the word comes from the popular Brazilian betting game jogo do bicho, in which the animal is absent, therefore it is unlikely that a zebra will be drawn.