Chapter 6

Ze"nick (?), n. (Zoöl.) A South African burrowing mammal (Suricata tetradactyla), allied to the civets. It is grayish brown, with yellowish transverse stripes on the back. Called also suricat.

Ze"nik (?), n. (Zoöl.) See Zenick.

Ze"nith (?; 277), n. [OE. senyth, OF. cenith, F. zénith, Sp. zenit, cenit, abbrev. fr. Ar. samt-urras way of the head, vertical place; samt way, path + al the + ras head. Cf. Azimuth.]

1. That point in the visible celestial hemisphere which is vertical to the spectator; the point of the heavens directly overhead; -- opposed to nadir.

From morn To noon he fell, from noon to dewy eve, A summer's day; and with the setting sun Dropped from the zenith, like a falling star.

Milton.

2. hence, figuratively, the point of culmination; the greatest height; the height of success or prosperity.

I find my zenith doth depend upon A most auspicious star.

Shak.

This dead of midnight is the noon of thought, And wisdom mounts her zenith with the stars.

Mrs. Barbauld.

It was during those civil troubles . . . this aspiring family reached the zenith.

Macaulay.

Zenith distance. (Astron.) See under Distance. -- Zenith sector. (Astron.) See Sector, 3. -- Zenith telescope (Geodesy), a telescope specially designed for determining the latitude by means of any two stars which pass the meridian about the same time, and at nearly equal distances from the zenith, but on opposite sides of it. It turns both on a vertical and a horizontal axis, is provided with a graduated vertical semicircle, and a level for setting it to a given zenith distance, and with a micrometer for measuring the difference of the zenith distances of the two stars.

Ze"nith*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to the zenith. "The deep zenithal blue." Tyndall.

Ze"o*lite (?), n. [Gr. &?; to boil + -lite: cf. F. zéolithe.] (Min.) A term now used to designate any one of a family of minerals, hydrous silicates of alumina, with lime, soda, potash, or rarely baryta. Here are included natrolite, stilbite, analcime, chabazite, thomsonite, heulandite, and others. These species occur of secondary origin in the cavities of amygdaloid, basalt, and lava, also, less frequently, in granite and gneiss. So called because many of these species intumesce before the blowpipe.

Needle zeolite, needlestone; natrolite.

Ze`o*lit"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to a zeolite; consisting of, or resembling, a zeolite.

Ze`o*lit"i*form (?), a. Having the form of a zeolite.

Zeph"yr (?), n. [L. zephyrus, Gr. &?;, akin to &?; darkness, the dark side, west: cf. F. zéphyr.] The west wind; poetically, any soft, gentle breeze. "Soft the zephyr blows." Gray.

As gentle As zephyrs blowing below the violet.

Shak.

Zephyr cloth, a thin kind of cassimere made in Belgium; also, a waterproof fabric of wool. -- Zephyr shawl, a kind of thin, light, embroidered shawl made of worsted and cotton. -- Zephyr yarn, or worsted, a fine, soft kind of yarn or worsted, - - used for knitting and embroidery.

||Zeph"y*rus (?), n. [L. See Zephyr.] The west wind, or zephyr; -- usually personified, and made the most mild and gentle of all the sylvan deities.

Mild as when Zephyrus on Flora breathes.

Milton.

Ze"quin (?), n. See Sequin.

||Zer"da (?), n. [Of African origin.] (Zoöl.) The fennec.

||Ze*ri"ba (?), n. (Mil.) Same as Zareba.

Ze"ro (?), n.; pl. Zeros (#) or Zeroes. [F. zéro, from Ar. çafrun, çifrun, empty, a cipher. Cf. Cipher.]

1. (Arith.) A cipher; nothing; naught.

2. The point from which the graduation of a scale, as of a thermometer, commences.

Zero in the Centigrade, or Celsius thermometer, and in the Réaumur thermometer, is at the point at which water congeals. The zero of the Fahrenheit thermometer is fixed at the point at which the mercury stands when immersed in a mixture of snow and common salt. In Wedgwood's pyrometer, the zero corresponds with 1077° on the Fahrenheit scale. See Illust. of Thermometer.

3. Fig.: The lowest point; the point of exhaustion; as, his patience had nearly reached zero.

Absolute zero. See under Absolute. -- Zero method (Physics), a method of comparing, or measuring, forces, electric currents, etc., by so opposing them that the pointer of an indicating apparatus, or the needle of a galvanometer, remains at, or is brought to, zero, as contrasted with methods in which the deflection is observed directly; -- called also null method. -- Zero point, the point indicating zero, or the commencement of a scale or reckoning.

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Zest (?), n. [F. zeste, probably fr. L. schistos split, cleft, divided, Gr. &?;, from &?; to split, cleave. Cf. Schism.]

1. A piece of orange or lemon peel, or the aromatic oil which may be squeezed from such peel, used to give flavor to liquor, etc.

2. Hence, something that gives or enhances a pleasant taste, or the taste itself; an appetizer; also, keen enjoyment; relish; gusto.

Almighty Vanity! to thee they owe Their zest of pleasure, and their balm of woe.

Young.

Liberality of disposition and conduct gives the highest zest and relish to social intercourse.

Gogan.

3. The woody, thick skin inclosing the kernel of a walnut. [Obs.]

Zest, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Zested; p. pr. & vb. n. Zesting.]

1. To cut into thin slips, as the peel of an orange, lemon, etc.; to squeeze, as peel, over the surface of anything.

2. To give a relish or flavor to; to heighten the taste or relish of; as, to zest wine. Gibber.

||Ze"ta (?), n. [L., from Gr. &?;. Cf. Zed.] A Greek letter [&zeta;] corresponding to our z.

Ze*tet"ic (?), a. [Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to seek: cf. F. zététique.] Seeking; proceeding by inquiry.

Zetetic method (Math.), the method used for finding the value of unknown quantities by direct search, in investigation, or in the solution of problems. [R.] Hutton.

Ze*tet"ic, n. A seeker; -- a name adopted by some of the Pyrrhonists.

Ze*tet"ics (?), n. [See Zetetic, a.] (Math.) A branch of algebra which relates to the direct search for unknown quantities. [R.]

Zeu"glo*don (?), n. [Gr. &?; the strap or loop of a yoke + &?;, &?;, tooth.] (Paleon.) A genus of extinct Eocene whales, remains of which have been found in the Gulf States. The species had very long and slender bodies and broad serrated teeth. See Phocodontia.

Zeu"glo*dont (?), (Zoöl.) Any species of Zeuglodonta.

||Zeu`glo*don"ta (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoöl.) Same as Phocodontia.

Zeug"ma (?), n. [L., from Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to yoke, join. See Yoke.] (Gram.) A figure by which an adjective or verb, which agrees with a nearer word, is, by way of supplement, referred also to another more remote; as, "hic illius arma, hic currus fuit;" where fuit, which agrees directly with currus, is referred also to arma.

Zeug*mat"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to zeugma; characterized by zeugma.

||Zeu`go*bran`chi*a"ta (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; to yoke + &?; a gill.] (Zoöl.) Same as Zygobranchia.

Zeus (?), n. (Gr. Myth.) The chief deity of the Greeks, and ruler of the upper world (cf. Hades). He was identified with Jupiter.

Zeu*ze"ri*an (?), n. (Zoöl.) Any one of a group of bombycid moths of which the genus Zeuzera is the type. Some of these moths are of large size. The goat moth is an example.

Zey"lan*ite (?), n. (Min.) See Ceylanite.

{ Zib"et, Zib"eth } (?), n. [Cf. It. zibetto. See Civet.] (Zoöl.) A carnivorous mammal (Viverra zibetha) closely allied to the civet, from which it differs in having the spots on the body less distinct, the throat whiter, and the black rings on the tail more numerous.

It inhabits India, Southern China, and the East Indies. It yields a perfume similar to that of the civet. It is often domesticated by the natives, and then serves the same purposes as the domestic cat. Called also Asiatic, or Indian, civet.

Zie"ga (?), n. Curd produced from milk by adding acetic acid, after rennet has ceased to cause coagulation. Brande & C.

Zie`tri*si"kite (?), n. (Min.) A mineral wax, vert similar to ozocerite. It is found at Zietrisika, Moldavia, whence its name.

||Zif (?), n. [Heb. ziv.] The second month of the Jewish ecclesiastical year, corresponding to our May.

{ Zig"ger, Zig"hyr } (?), v. i. (Mining) Same as Sicker. [Prov. Eng.] Raymond.

Zig"zag` (?), n. [F. zigzag, G. zickzack, from zacke, zacken, a dentil, tooth. Cf. Tack a small nail.]

1. Something that has short turns or angles.

The fanatics going straight forward and openly, the politicians by the surer mode of zigzag.

Burke.

2. (Arch.) A molding running in a zigzag line; a chevron, or series of chevrons. See Illust. of Chevron, 3.

3. (Fort.) See Boyau.

Zig"zag` (?), a. Having short, sharp turns; running this way and that in an onward course.

Zig"zag`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Zigzagged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Zigzagging.] To form with short turns.

Zig"zag`, v. i. To move in a zigzag manner; also, to have a zigzag shape. R. Browning.

Zig"zag`ger*y (?), n. The quality or state of being zigzag; crookedness. [R.]

The . . . zigzaggery of my father's approaches.

Sterne.

Zig"zag`gy, a. Having sharp turns. Barham.

Zil"la (?), n. (Bot.) A low, thorny, suffrutescent, crucifeous plant (Zilla myagroides) found in the deserts of Egypt. Its leaves are boiled in water, and eaten, by the Arabs.

||Zil"lah (?), n. [Ar. zila.] A district or local division, as of a province. [India]

||Zimb (?), n. (Zoöl.) A large, venomous, two-winged fly, native of Abyssinia. It is allied to the tsetse fly, and, like the latter, is destructive to cattle.

Zim"ent-wa`ter (?), n. [G. cement- wasser. See Cement.] A kind of water found in copper mines; water impregnated with copper.

Zinc (zk), n. [G. zink, probably akin to zinn tin: cf. F. zinc, from the German. Cf. Tin.] (Chem.) An abundant element of the magnesium-cadmium group, extracted principally from the minerals zinc blende, smithsonite, calamine, and franklinite, as an easily fusible bluish white metal, which is malleable, especially when heated. It is not easily oxidized in moist air, and hence is used for sheeting, coating galvanized iron, etc. It is used in making brass, britannia, and other alloys, and is also largely consumed in electric batteries. Symbol Zn. Atomic weight 64.9. [Formerly written also zink.]

Butter of zinc (Old Chem.), zinc chloride, ZnCl2, a deliquescent white waxy or oily substance. -- Oxide of zinc. (Chem.) See Zinc oxide, below. -- Zinc amine (Chem.), a white amorphous substance, Zn(NH2)2, obtained by the action of ammonia on zinc ethyl; -- called also zinc amide. -- Zinc amyle (Chem.), a colorless, transparent liquid, composed of zinc and amyle, which, when exposed to the atmosphere, emits fumes, and absorbs oxygen with rapidity. -- Zinc blende [cf. G. zinkblende] (Min.), a native zinc sulphide. See Blende, n. (a). -- Zinc bloom [cf. G. zinkblumen flowers of zinc, oxide of zinc] (Min.), hydrous carbonate of zinc, usually occurring in white earthy incrustations; -- called also hydrozincite. -- Zinc ethyl (Chem.), a colorless, transparent, poisonous liquid, composed of zinc and ethyl, which takes fire spontaneously on exposure to the atmosphere. -- Zinc green, a green pigment consisting of zinc and cobalt oxides; -- called also Rinmann's green. -- Zinc methyl (Chem.), a colorless mobile liquid Zn(CH3)2, produced by the action of methyl iodide on a zinc sodium alloy. It has a disagreeable odor, and is spontaneously inflammable in the air. It has been of great importance in the synthesis of organic compounds, and is the type of a large series of similar compounds, as zinc ethyl, zinc amyle, etc. -- Zinc oxide (Chem.), the oxide of zinc, ZnO, forming a light fluffy sublimate when zinc is burned; -- called also flowers of zinc, philosopher's wool, nihil album, etc. The impure oxide produced by burning the metal, roasting its ores, or in melting brass, is called also pompholyx, and tutty. -- Zinc spinel (Min.), a mineral, related to spinel, consisting essentially of the oxides of zinc and aluminium; gahnite. -- Zinc vitriol (Chem.), zinc sulphate. See White vitriol, under Vitriol. -- Zinc white, a white powder consisting of zinc oxide, used as a pigment.

Zinc, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Zincked or Zinced (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Zincking or Zincing (&?;).] To coat with zinc; to galvanize.

Zinc"ane (?), n. (Chem.) Zinc chloride. [Obs.]

Zinc"ic (?), a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, containing, or resembling, zinc; zincous.

Zinc"ide (?), n. A binary compound of zinc. [R.]

Zinc*if"er*ous (?), a. [Zinc + -ferous.] Containing or affording zinc.

Zinc`i*fi*ca"tion (?), n. The act or process of applying zinc; the condition of being zincified, or covered with zinc; galvanization.

Zinc"i*fy (?), v. t. [Zinc + - fy.] (Metal.) To coat or impregnate with zinc.

Zinc"ite (?), n. (Min.) Native zinc oxide; a brittle, translucent mineral, of an orange- red color; -- called also red zinc ore, and red oxide of zinc.

{Zinck"ing, or Zinc"ing (?) }, n. (Metal.) The act or process of applying zinc; galvanization.

Zinck"y (?), a. Pertaining to zinc, or having its appearance. [Written also zinky.]

Zin"co- (?). A combining form from zinc; in chemistry, designating zinc as an element of certain double compounds. Also used adjectively.

Zinc"ode (?), n. [Zinc + - ode, as in electrode.] (Elec.) The positive electrode of an electrolytic cell; anode. [R.] Miller.

Zin*cog"ra*pher (?), n. An engraver on zinc.

{ Zin`co*graph"ic (?), Zin`co*graph"ic*al (?), } a. Of or pertaining to zincography; as, zincographic processes.

Zin*cog"ra*phy (?), n. [Zinco- + -graphy.] The art or process of engraving or etching on zinc, in which the design is left in relief in the style of a wood cut, the rest of the ground being eaten away by acid.

Zinc"oid (?), a. [Zinc + - oid.] Pertaining to, or resembling, zinc; -- said of the electricity of the zincous plate in connection with a copper plate in a voltaic circle; also, designating the positive pole. [Obs.]

Zin`co-po"lar (?), a. [Zinco- + polar.] (Elec.) Electrically polarized like the surface of the zinc presented to the acid in a battery, which has zincous affinity. [Obs.]

Zinc"ous (?), a. 1. (Chem.) (a) Of, pertaining to, or containing, zinc; zincic; as, zincous salts. (b) Hence, formerly, basic, basylous, as opposed to chlorous.

2. (Physics) Of or pertaining to the positive pole of a galvanic battery; electro-positive.

||Zin"ga*ro (?), n.; pl. Zingari (#). [It.] A gypsy.

Zing"el (zng"el), n. (Zoöl.) A small, edible, freshwater European perch (Aspro zingel), having a round, elongated body and prominent snout.

Zin`gi*ber*a"ceous (zn`j*br*"shs), a. [L. zingiber ginger. See Ginger.] (Bot.) Of or pertaining to ginger, or to a tribe (Zingibereæ) of endogenous plants of the order Scitamineæ. See Scitamineous.

Zink (zk), n. (Chem.) See Zinc. [Obs.]

Zink"en*ite (-en*t), n. [From Zinken, director at one time of the Hanoverian mines.] (Min.) A steel-gray metallic mineral, a sulphide of antimony and lead.

Zink"y (?), a. See Zincky. Kirwan.

||Zin"ni*a (?), n. [NL. So called after Professor Zinn, of Göttingen.] (Bot.) Any plant of the composite genus Zinnia, Mexican herbs with opposite leaves and large gay-colored blossoms. Zinnia elegans is the commonest species in cultivation.

Zinn"wald*ite (?), n. [So called after Zinnwald, in Bohemia, where it occurs.] (Min.) A kind of mica containing lithium, often associated with tin ore.

Zin"sang (?), n. (Zoöl.) The delundung.

Zin`zi*ber*a"ceous (?), a. (Bot.) Same as Zingiberaceous.

Zi"on (?), n. [Heb. tsy&?;n, originally, a hill.]

1. (Jewish Antiq.) A hill in Jerusalem, which, after the capture of that city by the Israelites, became the royal residence of David and his successors.

2. Hence, the theocracy, or church of God.

3. The heavenly Jerusalem; heaven.

Ziph"i*oid (?), n. (Zoöl.) See Xiphioid.

Zir"co- (?). (Chem.) A combining form (also used adjectively) designating zirconium as an element of certain double compounds; zircono-; as in zircofluoric acid, sodium zircofluoride.

Zir`co*flu"or*ide (?), n. (Chem.) A double fluoride of zirconium and hydrogen, or some other positive element or radical; as, zircofluoride of sodium.

Zir"con (?), n. [F., the same word as jargon. See Jargon a variety of zircon.] (Min.) A mineral occurring in tetragonal crystals, usually of a brown or gray color. It consists of silica and zirconia. A red variety, used as a gem, is called hyacinth. Colorless, pale-yellow or smoky- brown varieties from Ceylon are called jargon.

Zircon syenite, a coarse-grained syenite containing zircon crystals and often also elæolite. It is largely developed in Southern Norway.

Zir"co*na (?), n. [NL.] (Chem.) Zirconia.

Zir"con*ate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of zirconic acid.

Zir*co"ni*a (?), n. [NL.] (Chem.) The oxide of zirconium, obtained as a white powder, and possessing both acid and basic properties. On account of its infusibility, and brilliant luminosity when incandescent, it is used as an ingredient of sticks for the Drummomd light.

Zir*con"ic (?), a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, containing, or resembling, zirconium; as, zirconic oxide; zirconic compounds.

Zirconic acid, an acid of zirconium analogous to carbonic and silicic acids, known only in its salts.

Zir*co"ni*um (?), n. [NL.] (Chem.) A rare element of the carbon-silicon group, intermediate between the metals and nonmetals, obtained from the mineral zircon as a dark sooty powder, or as a gray metallic crystalline substance. Symbol Zr. Atomic weight, 90.4.

Zir"co*no (?). See Zirco-.

Zir"con*oid (?), n. [Zircon + oid.] (Crystallog.) A double eight-sided pyramid, a form common with tetragonal crystals; -- so called because this form often occurs in crystals of zircon.

Zith"er (?), n. [G. zither. See Cittern.] (Mus.) An instrument of music used in Austria and Germany. It has from thirty to forty wires strung across a shallow sounding-board, which lies horizontally on a table before the performer, who uses both hands in playing on it. [Not to be confounded with the old lute-shaped cittern, or cithern.]

Zit"tern (?), n. (Min.) See Cittern.

||Zi*za"ni*a (?), n. [NL., from L. zizanium darnel, cockle, Gr. &?;.] (Bot.) A genus of grasses including Indian rice. See Indian rice, under Rice.

Ziz"el (?), n. [G. ziesel.] (Zoöl.) The suslik. [Written also zisel.]

||Zo`an*tha"ce*a (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. zw^,on an animal + &?; flower.] (Zoöl.) A suborder of Actinaria, including Zoanthus and allied genera, which are permanently attached by their bases.

||Zo`an*tha"ri*a (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoöl.) Same as Anthozoa.

Zo`an*tha"ri*an (?), a. (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the Zoantharia. -- n. One of the Anthozoa.

Zo*an"tho*deme (?), n. [See Zoantharia, and Deme.] (Zoöl.) The zooids of a compound anthozoan, collectively.

Zo*an"thoid (?), a. [See Zoantharia, and -oid.] (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the Zoanthacea.

Zo*an"thro*py (?), n. [Gr. &?; animal + &?; man.] (Med.) A kind of monomania in which the patient believes himself transformed into one of the lower animals.

||Zo*an"thus (?), n. [NL. See Zoantharia.] (Zoöl.) A genus of Actinaria, including numerous species, found mostly in tropical seas. The zooids or polyps resemble small, elongated actinias united together at their bases by fleshy stolons, and thus forming extensive groups. The tentacles are small and bright colored.

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||Zo"bo (?), n. [Native name.] (Zoöl.) A kind of domestic cattle reared in Asia for its flesh and milk. It is supposed to be a hybrid between the zebu and the yak.

{ Zoc"co (?), Zoc"co*lo (?), } n. [It. fr. L. socculus. See Socle, and cf. Zacco.] (Arch.) Same as Socle.

Zo"cle (?; 277), n. (Arch.) Same as Socle.

Zo"di*ac (?), n. [F. zodiaque (cf. It. zodiaco), fr. L. zodiacus, Gr. &?; (sc. &?;), fr. &?;, dim. of zw^,on an animal, akin to &?; living, &?; to live.]

1. (Astron.) (a) An imaginary belt in the heavens, 16° or 18° broad, in the middle of which is the ecliptic, or sun's path. It comprises the twelve constellations, which one constituted, and from which were named, the twelve signs of the zodiac. (b) A figure representing the signs, symbols, and constellations of the zodiac.

2. A girdle; a belt. [Poetic & R.]

By his side, As in a glistering zodiac, hung the sword.

Milton.

Zo*di"a*cal (?), a. [Cf. F. zodiacal.] (Astron.) Of or pertaining to the zodiac; situated within the zodiac; as, the zodiacal planets.

Zodiacal light, a luminous tract of the sky, of an elongated, triangular figure, lying near the ecliptic, its base being on the horizon, and its apex at varying altitudes. It is to be seen only in the evening, after twilight, and in the morning before dawn. It is supposed to be due to sunlight reflected from multitudes of meteoroids revolving about the sun nearly in the plane of the ecliptic.

||Zo"ë*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; life.] (Zoöl.) A peculiar larval stage of certain decapod Crustacea, especially of crabs and certain Anomura. [Written also zoæa.]

In this stage the anterior part of the body is relatively large, and usually bears three or four long spines. The years are conspicuous, and the antennæ and jaws are long, fringed organs used in swimming. The thoracic legs are undeveloped or rudimentary, the abdomen long, slender, and often without appendages. The zoëa, after casting its shell, changes to a megalops.

Zo"e*trope (?), n. [Gr. &?; life + &?; turning, from &?; to turn.] An optical toy, in which figures made to revolve on the inside of a cylinder, and viewed through slits in its circumference, appear like a single figure passing through a series of natural motions as if animated or mechanically moved.

||Zo"har (?), n. [Heb. zhar candor, splendor.] A Jewish cabalistic book attributed by tradition to Rabbi Simon ben Yochi, who lived about the end of the 1st century, a. d. Modern critics believe it to be a compilation of the 13th century. Encyc. Brit.

Zo"ic (?), a. [Gr. &?;.] (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to animals, or animal life.

Zo"ide (?), n. (Biol.) See Meride.

Zo*il"e*an (?), a. Having the characteristic of Zoilus, a bitter, envious, unjust critic, who lived about 270 years before Christ.

Zo"i*lism (?), n. Resemblance to Zoilus in style or manner; carping criticism; detraction.

Bring candid eyes the perusal of men's works, and let not Zoilism or detraction blast well-intended labors.

Sir T. Browne.

Zois"ite (?), n. [After its discoverer, Von Zois, an Austrian mineralogist.] (Min.) A grayish or whitish mineral occurring in orthorhombic, prismatic crystals, also in columnar masses. It is a silicate of alumina and lime, and is allied to epidote.

||Zo"kor (?), n. (Zoöl.) An Asiatic burrowing rodent (Siphneus aspalax) resembling the mole rat. It is native of the Altai Mountains.

||Zoll"ve*rein` (?), n. [G., from zoll duty + verein union.] Literally, a customs union; specifically, applied to the several customs unions successively formed under the leadership of Prussia among certain German states for establishing liberty of commerce among themselves and common tariff on imports, exports, and transit.

In 1834 a zollverein was established which included most of the principal German states except Austria. This was terminated by the events of 1866, and in 1867 a more closely organized union was formed, the administration of which was ultimately merged in that of the new German empire, with which it nearly corresponds territorially.

Zom"bo*ruk (?), n. (Mil.) See Zumbooruk.

||Zo"na (?), n.; pl. Zonæ (#). [L., a girdle. See Zone.] A zone or band; a layer.

Zona pellucida. [NL.] (Biol.) (a) The outer transparent layer, or envelope, of the ovum. It is a more or less elastic membrane with radiating striæ, and corresponds to the cell wall of an ordinary cell. See Ovum, and Illust. of Microscope. (b) The zona radiata. -- Zona radiata [NL.] (Biol.), a radiately striated membrane situated next the yolk of an ovum, or separated from it by a very delicate membrane only.

Zon"al (?), a. [L. zonalis.] Of or pertaining to a zone; having the form of a zone or zones.