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zest

(zĕst)

a. Flavor or piquancy: a spice that lends zest to the sauce.

b. Interest or excitement: "A spiral staircase always adds zest to a setting" (P. J. O'Rourke).

c. The outermost part of the rind of an orange, lemon, or other citrus fruit, used as flavoring: added a pinch of grated zest.

2. Spirited enjoyment; gusto: "At 53 he retains all the heady zest of adolescence" (Kenneth Tynan).

tr.v. zest·ed, zest·ing, zests

To remove small pieces from (a rind from a citrus fruit) for use as a flavoring in cooking: zested the lemon.

[Obsolete French zest, orange or lemon peel (now spelled zeste), bitter woody membrane dividing the kernel inside a walnut shell, citrus zest, from Middle French, alteration (perhaps influenced by zeste, onomatopoetic word used to imitate the sound of a hit or blow) of earlier zec, something of little value or importance, probably of imitative origin (expressing the idea of smallness).]

zestful adj.

zestful·ly adv.

zestful·ness n.

zesty adj.

Synonyms: zest , gusto , relish
These nouns denote keen, hearty pleasure or appreciation: ate the delicious meal with zest; told the amusing story with gusto; has no relish for repetitive work.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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