Can You Define All of These Words That Start With X, Y, and Z?

According to Oxford Dictionaries, a ziggurat is '"a rectangular stepped tower, sometimes surmounted by a temple. Ziggurats are first attested in the late 3rd millennium BC and probably inspired the biblical story of the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1–9)".

A yaupon, according to Oxford Dictionaries, is a "North American holly, the leaves of which have emetic properties and were formerly used as a tea by North American Indians."

If you have a fear of those from other cultures, you might just be a xenophobe! According to Oxford Dictionaries, a xenophobe is "a person having a dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries."

A zincograph is a print produced by zincography, which is the art or process of producing a printing surface on a zinc plate by etching it with acid. (Source: Webster's Dictionary.)

According to Oxford Dictionaries, yarrow is "a Eurasian plant with feathery leaves and heads of small white or pale pink aromatic flowers, which has long been used in herbal medicine". It's also known as milfoil.

"Yare" is an adjective used in reference to ships. When a ship is said to be "yare", that means it moves lightly and is easily manageable. (Source: Oxford Dictionaries.)

A xenograft is "a tissue graft or organ transplant from a donor of a different species from the recipient", according to Oxford Dictionaries.

Your grandmother is being pretty mean! A yob is an irritating and noisome young person. (Source: Oxford Dictionaries.)

Sorry to disappoint you with a boring answer but, according to Webster's Dictionary, a zax is "a hatchetlike tool for cutting and punching nail holes in roofing slate".

If you live in the Southwest, we're guessing you love xerophytes, as they are plants that can survive without much water. (Source: Oxford Dictionaries.)

According to Webster's Dictionary, a xerus is a type of African ground squirrel with spiny fur, a long tail and very short ears. It can be found throughout western, eastern and central Africa.

We were surprised by this definition, but a yaud is an archaic Scottish and Northern English word for "an old mare, especially a worn-out one". (Source: Webster's Dictionary.)

Remember the classic 1980 musical "Xanadu"? That film was bananas! However, according to Oxford Dictionaries, Xanadu is "an idealized place of great or idyllic magnificence and beauty".

Zany means "amusingly unconventional and idiosyncratic." (Source: Oxford Dictionaries.) Zach Galifianakis is zany; so is Conan O'Brien.

This is a very odd and outdated word! According to Oxford Dictionaries, a yokefellow is "a person linked to or associated with another, especially in some work or activity; an associate or partner in an undertaking; a fellow-worker. Also occasionally (literal): a draught animal coupled with another in a yoke." This word can also refer to both people in a marriage.

As global warming intensifies, we may all need to start xeriscaping! A xeriscape is "a garden or landscape created in a style that requires little or no irrigation or other maintenance, used in arid regions". (Source: Oxford Dictionaries.)

A yulan is "a Chinese magnolia with showy white flowers". (Source: Oxford Dictionaries.) They're rather beautiful!

Whether you want to be or not, you're definitely a part of the zeitgeist! That's because the zeitgeist is "the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time". (Source: Oxford Dictionaries.)

Don't be embarrassed if you couldn't get this one! According to Oxford Dictionaries, a xebec is "a small three-masted Mediterranean sailing ship with lateen and square sails". Xebecs were popular in the 18th century but are rarely sailed today.

Remember "Miller's Crossing"? In that Coen Brothers movie, people were calling each other yeggs left and right. According to Oxford Dictionaries, a yegg is early 20th century slang for "a burglar or safe-breaker".

Zaftig is actually a word! In fact, it's an adjective meaning "having a full, rounded figure". (Source: Oxford Dictionaries.)

This term hails from ancient Greece, where it meant "a primitive wooden image of a deity".

While you might know a baby or two by this name, zephyr means "a soft gentle breeze", according to Oxford Dictionaries. In Old English, "zephyr" specifically referred to a personification of the west wind.

Yeanling is an archaic word for the young of a sheep or goat". (Source: Webster's Dictionary.) Sounds adorable!

A yardarm is "the outer extremity of a ship's yard", according to Oxford Dictionaries. We're not sure why it was necessary to invent a specific word for this area, but life can be mysterious sometimes.

What's for dinner? Ziti! According to Oxford Dictionaries, ziti are "pasta in the form of tubes resembling large macaroni".

If your neighbor's dog won't stop barking, he's officially yaffing! Yaff is a Scottish and Northern English word meaning "to bark or yelp". (Source: Webster's Dictionary.)

You don't see this word every day! Xerosis is "an abnormal dryness, as of the eye or skin". (Source: Webster's Dictionary.) If you're suffering form xerosis, we hope you recover soon.

A yeoman is a historical word for "a man holding and cultivating a small landed estate; a freeholder". (Source: Oxford Dictionaries.) Yeoman were of a different class than other types of English farm workers during the Middle Ages, as most of them were serfs. In the navy, a yeoman is a type of petty officer.

A zori is "a traditional Japanese style of flip-flop shoe, originally made with a straw sole". (Source: Oxford Dictionaries.) They're great for wearing around the house.

If you're a dieter, you probably knew this one! Xylitol is "a sweet-tasting crystalline alcohol derived from xylose, present in some plant tissues and used as an artificial sweetener in foods". (Source: Oxford Dictionaries.)

Who's up for a boat party? But seriously, a yawl is "a two-masted fore-and-aft-rigged sailing boat with the mizzenmast stepped far aft so that the mizzen boom overhangs the stern". (Source: Oxford Dictionaries.)

Get out your dancing shoes! Zydeco is "a kind of black American dance music originally from southern Louisiana, typically featuring accordion and guitar". (Source: Oxford Dictionaries.)

Yep, this is the predecessor to "yadayadyada" on "Seinfeld". According to Webster's Dictionary, yatata is 1940s slang for "empty conversation".

If you're a music fan, you might find this interesting! According to Oxford Dictionaries, a zither is "a musical instrument consisting of a flat wooden soundbox with numerous strings stretched across it, placed horizontally and played with the fingers and a plectrum. It is used especially in central European folk music".