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zij

(zēj)

An astronomical text tabulating information on the apparent positions and motions of the sun, moon, planets, and stars, especially such a text written in Arabic or Persian in the eighth or ninth century.

[Arabic and Persian zīj (Persian, from Arabic), from Persian zīg, mason's rule, threads that serve as a guide in embroidering, zij, from Middle Persian ǰīg, *zīg, thread, from Old Iranian *ǰyaka-, thread, diminutive of *ǰyā-, bowstring, tendon; akin to Avestan ǰyā-; see g^whī- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

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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