) 
ZAN 
z. 
ZEN 
Z Or z, the twenty-fourth and last let- 
’ ter, and the nineteenth consonant of 
oiir alphabet ; the sound of which is formed 
by a motion of the tongue from the palate 
downwards and upwards to it again, with a 
shutting and opening of the teeth at the 
same time. This letter has been reputed a 
double consonant, having the sound ds ; 
but some think with very little reason ; and, 
as if we thought otherwise, we often dou- 
ble it, as in puzzle, muzzle, &c. Among the 
ancients, Z was a numeral letter, signifying 
two thousand, and with a dash added a-top, 
Z signified two thousand times two thou- 
sand, or four millions. In abbreviations 
this letter formerly stood as a mark for se- 
veral sorts of weights : sometimes it sign!- - 
tied an ounce and a half, and very fre- 
quently it stood for half an ounce ; some- 
times for the eighth part of an ounce, ora 
dram troy weight ; and it has, in earlier 
times, been used to express the third part 
of one ounce, or eight scruples.' ZZ were 
used by some of the ancient physicians to 
express myrrh, and at present they are of- 
ten used to signify zinziber, or ginger. 
ZAFFER. See Cobalt. 
ZAMIA, in botany, a genus of the Ap- 
pendix Palmae class and order. Natural 
order of Palmae. Filices, Jussieu. Essen- 
tial character ; male, ament strobile-shaped ; 
scales covered with pollen underneath : fe- 
male, ament strobile-shaped, with scales at 
each margin; berry solitary. There are 
five species. 
ZANNICHELLIA, in botany, so named 
in honour of Giov. Jeronymo Zannichelli, 
a genus of the Monoecia Monandria class 
and order. Natural order of Inundat®. 
Naiades, Jussieu. Essential character: male, 
calyx none ; corolla none : female, calyx one- 
leafed; corolla none; germs four or more ; 
seeds as many, pedicelled ; stigmas peltate. 
There is only one species, viz. Z. palustris, 
horned pondweed, a native of Europe. 
ZANONIA, in botany, so named in me- 
mory of Giacomo Zanoni, prefect of the bota- 
nic garden at Bologna, a genus of theDioecia 
Pentandria class and order. Natural order 
of Cucurbitaceae, Jussieu. Essential cha- 
racter : calyx three-leaved ; corolla five- 
parted : female, styles three ; berry three- 
celled, inferior; seeds two in each cell. 
There is but one species, viz. Z. indica, a 
native of Blalabar. 
ZEA, in botany, a genus of the Monoe- 
cia Triandria class and order. Natural 
order of Gramina or Grasses. Essential 
character : males in distinct spikes ; ca- 
lyx glume two-flowered, awnless ; corolla 
glume two-flowered, awnless : female, ca- 
lyx glume one flowered, two-valved ; corol- 
la glume four-valved ; style one, filiform, 
pendulous ; seeds solitary, immersed in an 
oblong l eceptacle. There is but one spe- 
cies, viz. Z. mays, Indian corn, or maize, 
and several varieties. The Indians in New 
England, and many other parts of America, 
had no other vegetable but maize, or In- 
dian corn, for making their bread. They 
call it weachin, and in the United States of 
America there is much of the bread of the 
country made of this grain, not of the Eu- 
ropean corn. In Italy, Germany, Spain, 
and Portugal, maize constitutes a great part 
of the food of the poor inhabitants. The ear 
of the maize yields a much greater quantity 
of grain than any of our corn ears. There 
are commonly about eight rows of grain in 
the ear, often more, if the ground is good. 
Each of these rows contains at least thirty 
grains, and each of these gives much more 
flour than a grain of any of our corn. The 
grains are usually either white or yellowish ; 
but sometimes they are red, blueish, green- 
ish, or olive-coloured, and sometimes striped 
and variegated. This sort of grain, though 
so essentially necessary to the natives of 
the place, is yet liable to many accidents. 
It does not ripen till the end of September; 
so that the rains often fall heavy upon it 
while on the stalk, and birds in general 
peck it when it is soft and unripe. Nature 
has, to defend it from these accidents, co- 
vered it with a thick husk, which keeps off 
slight rains very well; but the birds, if not 
frightened away, often eat through it, and 
devour a great quantity of the grain. 
ZEBRA. See Equus. 
ZENITH, in astronomy, the vertical 
point ; or a point in the heavens directly 
over our heads. The zenith is called the 
pole of the horizon, because it is ninety 
degrees distant from every point of that 
circle. See Pole and Horizon. 
Zesitu distance is the complement of 
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