"zot" meaning in English

See zot in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Interjection

Etymology: Sound effect in the comic strip B.C., first published in 1958, associated with both (1) the rapid tongue of an anteater character and (2) lightning bolts. Head templates: {{en-interj}} zot
  1. (US) The characteristic sound made by an anteater's tongue or by lightning. Tags: US
    Sense id: en-zot-en-intj-MM3VQqt2 Categories (other): American English
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 2

Noun

Forms: zots [plural]
Etymology: Sound effect in the comic strip B.C., first published in 1958, associated with both (1) the rapid tongue of an anteater character and (2) lightning bolts. Head templates: {{en-noun}} zot (plural zots)
  1. (US, slang) An anteater. Tags: US, slang
    Sense id: en-zot-en-noun-SG7qdPwA Categories (other): American English
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 2

Noun

Forms: zots [plural]
Etymology templates: {{m|nl|zot}} zot, {{m|af|sot}} sot Head templates: {{en-noun}} zot (plural zots)
  1. (South Africa, Zimbabwe, ethnic slur, offensive, derogatory) A black person. Tags: South-Africa, Zimbabwe, derogatory, ethnic, offensive, slur Synonyms: person of color
    Sense id: en-zot-en-noun-PG6l68SO Categories (other): English ethnic slurs, South African English, Zimbabwe English, English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 9 12 52 27
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 3

Verb

Audio: En-au-zot.ogg [Australia] Forms: zots [present, singular, third-person], zotting [participle, present], zotted [participle, past], zotted [past]
Etymology: A sound effect. Popularized by the Usenet Oracle, a humorous Internet advice service, where the word was used as an irritated dismissal of a question. Head templates: {{en-verb}} zot (third-person singular simple present zots, present participle zotting, simple past and past participle zotted)
  1. (slang, transitive) To zap, kill, or destroy. Tags: slang, transitive
    Sense id: en-zot-en-verb-pcDoW35~
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 1

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for zot meaning in English (5.9kB)

{
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_text": "A sound effect. Popularized by the Usenet Oracle, a humorous Internet advice service, where the word was used as an irritated dismissal of a question.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "zots",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zotting",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zotted",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zotted",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "zot (third-person singular simple present zots, present participle zotting, simple past and past participle zotted)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1980, Kit Reed, Magic time",
          "text": "I reached for the handle and it zotted me — an electric shock to the elbow.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1997, Matt Lepinski, “Zotting”, in rec.humor.oracle.d (Usenet)",
          "text": "I've heard rumors about the oracle zotting people and I have these questions about zot?",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1997, Terry Moore, “COPS PUT LIVES ON LINE?”, in austin.general (Usenet)",
          "text": "When a taxi driver, convenience store clerk, pizza deliverer, etc., gets zotted, it is on the back page of the local newspaper and not in out of town newspapers at all.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1998, RosieDawg, “watergardening and dogs and Rosie's new toy, OT-ish”, in rec.ponds (Usenet)",
          "text": "electric fence - zotting me was fine (well really!) but they were worried about zotting the several dozen human puppies that hang around at our house.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To zap, kill, or destroy."
      ],
      "id": "en-zot-en-verb-pcDoW35~",
      "links": [
        [
          "zap",
          "zap"
        ],
        [
          "destroy",
          "destroy"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(slang, transitive) To zap, kill, or destroy."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang",
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-zot.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/81/En-au-zot.ogg/En-au-zot.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/En-au-zot.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Usenet Oracle"
  ],
  "word": "zot"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_text": "Sound effect in the comic strip B.C., first published in 1958, associated with both (1) the rapid tongue of an anteater character and (2) lightning bolts.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "zots",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
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  "head_templates": [
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      "args": {},
      "expansion": "zot (plural zots)",
      "name": "en-noun"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
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      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An anteater."
      ],
      "id": "en-zot-en-noun-SG7qdPwA",
      "links": [
        [
          "anteater",
          "anteater"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, slang) An anteater."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "zot"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_text": "Sound effect in the comic strip B.C., first published in 1958, associated with both (1) the rapid tongue of an anteater character and (2) lightning bolts.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "zot",
      "name": "en-interj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "intj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The characteristic sound made by an anteater's tongue or by lightning."
      ],
      "id": "en-zot-en-intj-MM3VQqt2",
      "links": [
        [
          "anteater",
          "anteater"
        ],
        [
          "lightning",
          "lightning"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US) The characteristic sound made by an anteater's tongue or by lightning."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "zot"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 3,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "zot"
      },
      "expansion": "zot",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "af",
        "2": "sot"
      },
      "expansion": "sot",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "zots",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "zot (plural zots)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English ethnic slurs",
          "parents": [
            "Ethnic slurs",
            "Offensive terms",
            "Terms by usage"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "South African English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Zimbabwe English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 12 52 27",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2000 April 9, Squirrel, “SA Silence on Mugabe's actions”, in soc.culture.south-africa (Usenet)",
          "text": "Regretfully there is nothing that can be done about things .. just a time bomb ticking, ticking, ticking .. until one day soon, the zots will decide to take a property here, and a property there (they have after all started with vacant land and been successful), so why not progress to property?",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2000 October 29, Nude Raider, “Here are the facts...”, in soc.culture.south-africa (Usenet)",
          "text": "(SA) ¶ The government has TACITLY condoned the actions of the zots by allowing them to continue their illegal occupation.\n(Zimbabwe) ¶ The government condoned the illegal activities and progressed to the point where they were actively supporting it.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2002 July 5, Alistair, “Re: Tobacco barn and other assets- disassembly instructions”, in soc.culture.zimbabwe (Usenet)",
          "text": "The zots will destroy the barns, the homesteads, the tractors, everything - reducing them to their component parts without the aid of explosives.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A black person."
      ],
      "id": "en-zot-en-noun-PG6l68SO",
      "links": [
        [
          "ethnic",
          "ethnic"
        ],
        [
          "slur",
          "slur"
        ],
        [
          "derogatory",
          "derogatory"
        ],
        [
          "black",
          "black"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(South Africa, Zimbabwe, ethnic slur, offensive, derogatory) A black person."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "person of color"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "South-Africa",
        "Zimbabwe",
        "derogatory",
        "ethnic",
        "offensive",
        "slur"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "zot"
}
{
  "categories": [
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    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_text": "A sound effect. Popularized by the Usenet Oracle, a humorous Internet advice service, where the word was used as an irritated dismissal of a question.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "zots",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zotting",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zotted",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zotted",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "zot (third-person singular simple present zots, present participle zotting, simple past and past participle zotted)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English slang",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1980, Kit Reed, Magic time",
          "text": "I reached for the handle and it zotted me — an electric shock to the elbow.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1997, Matt Lepinski, “Zotting”, in rec.humor.oracle.d (Usenet)",
          "text": "I've heard rumors about the oracle zotting people and I have these questions about zot?",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1997, Terry Moore, “COPS PUT LIVES ON LINE?”, in austin.general (Usenet)",
          "text": "When a taxi driver, convenience store clerk, pizza deliverer, etc., gets zotted, it is on the back page of the local newspaper and not in out of town newspapers at all.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1998, RosieDawg, “watergardening and dogs and Rosie's new toy, OT-ish”, in rec.ponds (Usenet)",
          "text": "electric fence - zotting me was fine (well really!) but they were worried about zotting the several dozen human puppies that hang around at our house.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To zap, kill, or destroy."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "zap",
          "zap"
        ],
        [
          "destroy",
          "destroy"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(slang, transitive) To zap, kill, or destroy."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang",
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-zot.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/81/En-au-zot.ogg/En-au-zot.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/En-au-zot.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Usenet Oracle"
  ],
  "word": "zot"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English interjections",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_text": "Sound effect in the comic strip B.C., first published in 1958, associated with both (1) the rapid tongue of an anteater character and (2) lightning bolts.",
  "forms": [
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      "form": "zots",
      "tags": [
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      ]
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      "expansion": "zot (plural zots)",
      "name": "en-noun"
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "English slang"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An anteater."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "anteater",
          "anteater"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, slang) An anteater."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "zot"
}

{
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    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English interjections",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_text": "Sound effect in the comic strip B.C., first published in 1958, associated with both (1) the rapid tongue of an anteater character and (2) lightning bolts.",
  "head_templates": [
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  "pos": "intj",
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      "categories": [
        "American English"
      ],
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        "The characteristic sound made by an anteater's tongue or by lightning."
      ],
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          "anteater"
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          "lightning",
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        ]
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        "(US) The characteristic sound made by an anteater's tongue or by lightning."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "zot"
}

{
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    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns"
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  "etymology_number": 3,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "zot"
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      "expansion": "zot",
      "name": "m"
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    {
      "args": {
        "1": "af",
        "2": "sot"
      },
      "expansion": "sot",
      "name": "m"
    }
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  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "zots",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
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        "English ethnic slurs",
        "English offensive terms",
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        "South African English",
        "Zimbabwe English"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2000 April 9, Squirrel, “SA Silence on Mugabe's actions”, in soc.culture.south-africa (Usenet)",
          "text": "Regretfully there is nothing that can be done about things .. just a time bomb ticking, ticking, ticking .. until one day soon, the zots will decide to take a property here, and a property there (they have after all started with vacant land and been successful), so why not progress to property?",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2000 October 29, Nude Raider, “Here are the facts...”, in soc.culture.south-africa (Usenet)",
          "text": "(SA) ¶ The government has TACITLY condoned the actions of the zots by allowing them to continue their illegal occupation.\n(Zimbabwe) ¶ The government condoned the illegal activities and progressed to the point where they were actively supporting it.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2002 July 5, Alistair, “Re: Tobacco barn and other assets- disassembly instructions”, in soc.culture.zimbabwe (Usenet)",
          "text": "The zots will destroy the barns, the homesteads, the tractors, everything - reducing them to their component parts without the aid of explosives.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A black person."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "ethnic",
          "ethnic"
        ],
        [
          "slur",
          "slur"
        ],
        [
          "derogatory",
          "derogatory"
        ],
        [
          "black",
          "black"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(South Africa, Zimbabwe, ethnic slur, offensive, derogatory) A black person."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "person of color"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "South-Africa",
        "Zimbabwe",
        "derogatory",
        "ethnic",
        "offensive",
        "slur"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "zot"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-24 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (82c8ff9 and f4967a5). 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.