Z

ZENITH

point of the heavens directly overhead

ME: senith; Arabic: samt = way, road, path, tract, quarter; samturas = zenith, vertical point of the heavens, the way overhead – from ras = head; assamt = azimuth – cf. *SAM = gather, collect, assemble, make alike; SKT: sam = with, together with – hence, the zenith is the `head of the azimuth (which gathers [the heavens] together’ – see ASSEMBLE, SAME, SIMULATE;

assemble, same, simulate…

ZERO

nothing but a cipher

Arabic: sifr = cipher, an empty thing; safara = to be empty; SKT: sunya = empty; L: zephyrum, F: chiffre = cipher; dechiffrer = decipher;

ZODIAC

apparent heavenly signs

ME: zodiak; F: zodiaque; L: zodiacus; GK: zoodiakos = of, or belonging to, animals – from zoon = living creature; zoe = life; zoopoieo = to produce life – see POIESIS; zoe is from *GWEI = to live; SKT: jiv = to live; jives = living; cf. GK: bios = life[1]; zao – from gwyeyo, zoo = I live; zugos = join, yoke, couple; the beam of a balance, connecting the scales; the beam connecting oxen; zeo = to be hot, to boil, to glow, to be fervent, to be full of life-for; L: uiere = to live; AS: cwic = alive, quick;

zoo…

ZONE

girdle

L: zona = belt, girdle; GK: zone = girdle, pocket, purse; zonnumi = to bind about (with a belt) – from *YOS = to gird; cf. *YEU = to bind, mix; guard; SKT: yu = bind, fasten, keep back; *YEUG = join, yoke together; SKT: yuj = join, connect; GK: zeugon = yoke; L: iuuare = to aid, help; iungere = join – from iux, iuxta = nearness, proximity; see JOIN, JUXTAPOSE;

join, juxtapose…

ZOO

place for animals

zodiac…

[1] On GK: zoe and bios, see Giorgio Agamben, Homo Sacer. ….. and Bare Life.  Stanford: Stanford University Press,