"zig" meaning in English

See zig in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /zɪɡ/ Audio: en-us-zig.ogg Forms: zigs [plural]
Rhymes: -ɪɡ Etymology: Back-formation from zigzag. Compare zag. Etymology templates: {{back-form|en|zigzag}} Back-formation from zigzag Head templates: {{en-noun}} zig (plural zigs)
  1. A sudden or sharp turn or change of direction. Translations (A sudden change of direction): äkkikäännös (Finnish)
    Sense id: en-zig-en-noun-b4zQOr7k Categories (other): Terms with Finnish translations Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 13 48 39 Disambiguation of 'A sudden change of direction': 98 2
  2. A kind of Jewish comedy skit.
    Sense id: en-zig-en-noun-JEVgWKjL Categories (other): English 3-letter words, English back-formations, Entries with translation boxes, Terms with Finnish translations Disambiguation of English 3-letter words: 7 35 43 15 Disambiguation of English back-formations: 10 46 45 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 7 46 47 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 13 48 39
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 1

Noun

IPA: /zɪɡ/ Audio: en-us-zig.ogg Forms: zig [plural], zigs [plural]
Rhymes: -ɪɡ Head templates: {{en-noun|*|s}} zig (plural zig or zigs)
  1. Alternative letter-case form of ZiG. Tags: alt-of Alternative form of: ZiG
    Sense id: en-zig-en-noun-St-hkLWN Categories (other): English 3-letter words, English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 3 entries, Pages with entries, Zimbabwe English Disambiguation of English 3-letter words: 7 35 43 15 Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 2 31 47 21 Disambiguation of Pages with 3 entries: 3 27 54 16 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 2 28 51 19 Disambiguation of Zimbabwe English: 3 21 64 11
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 2

Verb

IPA: /zɪɡ/ Audio: en-us-zig.ogg Forms: zigs [present, singular, third-person], zigging [participle, present], zigged [participle, past], zigged [past]
Rhymes: -ɪɡ Etymology: Back-formation from zigzag. Compare zag. Etymology templates: {{back-form|en|zigzag}} Back-formation from zigzag Head templates: {{en-verb}} zig (third-person singular simple present zigs, present participle zigging, simple past and past participle zigged)
  1. (intransitive) To make such a turn. Tags: intransitive Derived forms: zigger, ziggy, zig when one should zag Related terms: zigzag, zag
    Sense id: en-zig-en-verb-WHoIu1ji Categories (other): English 3-letter words, English back-formations, Entries with translation boxes, Terms with Finnish translations Disambiguation of English 3-letter words: 7 35 43 15 Disambiguation of English back-formations: 10 46 45 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 7 46 47 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 13 48 39
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 1

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zigzag"
      },
      "expansion": "Back-formation from zigzag",
      "name": "back-form"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Back-formation from zigzag. Compare zag.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "zigs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "zig (plural zigs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "13 48 39",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A sudden or sharp turn or change of direction."
      ],
      "id": "en-zig-en-noun-b4zQOr7k",
      "links": [
        [
          "turn",
          "turn"
        ],
        [
          "direction",
          "direction"
        ]
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "lang_code": "fi",
          "sense": "A sudden change of direction",
          "word": "äkkikäännös"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "7 35 43 15",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English 3-letter words",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "10 46 45",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English back-formations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "7 46 47",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "13 48 39",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              0,
              4
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2025, Gavin Schaffer, An unorthodox history: British Jews since 1945:",
          "text": "Zigs at Kfar Hanassi were rooted firmly in the history of British comedy.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A kind of Jewish comedy skit."
      ],
      "id": "en-zig-en-noun-JEVgWKjL",
      "links": [
        [
          "Jewish",
          "Jewish"
        ],
        [
          "comedy",
          "comedy"
        ],
        [
          "skit",
          "skit"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/zɪɡ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-zig.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3f/En-us-zig.ogg/En-us-zig.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/En-us-zig.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪɡ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "zig"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zigzag"
      },
      "expansion": "Back-formation from zigzag",
      "name": "back-form"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Back-formation from zigzag. Compare zag.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "zigs",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zigging",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zigged",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zigged",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "zig (third-person singular simple present zigs, present participle zigging, simple past and past participle zigged)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "7 35 43 15",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English 3-letter words",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "10 46 45",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English back-formations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "7 46 47",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "13 48 39",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "zigger"
        },
        {
          "word": "ziggy"
        },
        {
          "word": "zig when one should zag"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To make such a turn."
      ],
      "id": "en-zig-en-verb-WHoIu1ji",
      "links": [
        [
          "make",
          "make"
        ],
        [
          "turn",
          "turn"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To make such a turn."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "zigzag"
        },
        {
          "word": "zag"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/zɪɡ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-zig.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3f/En-us-zig.ogg/En-us-zig.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/En-us-zig.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪɡ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "zig"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "zig",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zigs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*",
        "2": "s"
      },
      "expansion": "zig (plural zig or zigs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "ZiG"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "7 35 43 15",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English 3-letter words",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "2 31 47 21",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "3 27 54 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 3 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "2 28 51 19",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "3 21 64 11",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Zimbabwe English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative letter-case form of ZiG."
      ],
      "id": "en-zig-en-noun-St-hkLWN",
      "links": [
        [
          "ZiG",
          "ZiG#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/zɪɡ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-zig.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3f/En-us-zig.ogg/En-us-zig.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/En-us-zig.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪɡ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "zig"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English 3-letter words",
    "English back-formations",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English indeclinable nouns",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English nouns with irregular plurals",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 3 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪɡ",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪɡ/1 syllable",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Zimbabwe English"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zigzag"
      },
      "expansion": "Back-formation from zigzag",
      "name": "back-form"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Back-formation from zigzag. Compare zag.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "zigs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "zig (plural zigs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A sudden or sharp turn or change of direction."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "turn",
          "turn"
        ],
        [
          "direction",
          "direction"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              0,
              4
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2025, Gavin Schaffer, An unorthodox history: British Jews since 1945:",
          "text": "Zigs at Kfar Hanassi were rooted firmly in the history of British comedy.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A kind of Jewish comedy skit."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Jewish",
          "Jewish"
        ],
        [
          "comedy",
          "comedy"
        ],
        [
          "skit",
          "skit"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/zɪɡ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-zig.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3f/En-us-zig.ogg/En-us-zig.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/En-us-zig.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪɡ"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "lang_code": "fi",
      "sense": "A sudden change of direction",
      "word": "äkkikäännös"
    }
  ],
  "word": "zig"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English 3-letter words",
    "English back-formations",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English indeclinable nouns",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English nouns with irregular plurals",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 3 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪɡ",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪɡ/1 syllable",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Zimbabwe English"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "zigger"
    },
    {
      "word": "ziggy"
    },
    {
      "word": "zig when one should zag"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zigzag"
      },
      "expansion": "Back-formation from zigzag",
      "name": "back-form"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Back-formation from zigzag. Compare zag.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "zigs",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zigging",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zigged",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zigged",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "zig (third-person singular simple present zigs, present participle zigging, simple past and past participle zigged)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "zigzag"
    },
    {
      "word": "zag"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English intransitive verbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To make such a turn."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "make",
          "make"
        ],
        [
          "turn",
          "turn"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To make such a turn."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/zɪɡ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-zig.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3f/En-us-zig.ogg/En-us-zig.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/En-us-zig.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪɡ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "zig"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English 3-letter words",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English indeclinable nouns",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English nouns with irregular plurals",
    "Pages with 3 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪɡ",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪɡ/1 syllable",
    "Zimbabwe English"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "zig",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zigs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*",
        "2": "s"
      },
      "expansion": "zig (plural zig or zigs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "ZiG"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative letter-case form of ZiG."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "ZiG",
          "ZiG#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/zɪɡ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-zig.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3f/En-us-zig.ogg/En-us-zig.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/En-us-zig.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪɡ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "zig"
}

Download raw JSONL data for zig meaning in English (4.6kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-01-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-01-01 using wiktextract (96027d6 and 9905b1f). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.