zig

See also: Zig, ZiG, and žig

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zɪɡ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪɡ

Etymology 1

Back-formation from zigzag. Compare zag.

Noun

zig (plural zigs)

1. A sudden or sharp turn or change of direction.
2. A kind of Jewish comedy skit.
   • 2025, Gavin Schaffer, An unorthodox history: British Jews since 1945:

     Zigs at Kfar Hanassi were rooted firmly in the history of British comedy.

Translations

A sudden change of direction

Finnish: äkkikäännös

Verb

zig (third-person singular simple present zigs, present participle zigging, simple past and past participle zigged)

1. (intransitive) To make such a turn.

Derived terms

• zigger
• ziggy
• zig when one should zag

See also

• zigzag, zag

Etymology 2

Noun

zig (plural zig or zigs)

1. Alternative letter-case form of ZiG.

Anagrams

• giz

French

Etymology

A variation of zigue.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zi/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Noun

zig m (plural zigs)

1. guy; bloke; individual

Further reading

• “zig”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

German

Etymology

From the terminal syllable -zig in numerals such as zwanzig (“twenty”), vierzig (“forty”), achtzig (“eighty”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tsɪç/

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Numeral

zig

1. umpteen, tens of, dozens of (an unspecified number, usually between 10 and 100)

   Der Verkäufer hat mir zig verschiedene Modelle gezeigt.

   The salesperson showed me umpteen different models.

Derived terms

• zigfach
• zigmal
• zigster
• zighundert
• zigtausend

See also

• x