za

English Online Dictionary. What means za‎? What does za mean?

Translingual

Symbol

za

1. (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Zhuang.

English

Etymology 1

Shortened from pizza.

Alternative forms

• 'za

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zɑː/
• Rhymes: -ɑː

Noun

za (countable and uncountable, plural zas)

1. (US, Canada, slang) Pizza.

Translations

Etymology 2

From an apheretic pronunciation of exotic. Compare zaza (“exotic marijuana”).

Noun

za (uncountable)

1. (slang) Exotic marijuana.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:marijuana

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ziː/, /zʌ/
• (unstressed) IPA^(key): /zə/
• Rhymes: -iː, -ʌ

Article

za

1. Nonstandard spelling of the, mimicking foreign accents.

   Synonym: ze

Etymology 4

From an apheretic pronunciation of wossat or (directly) of what's that.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /zə˧˥/, /zɑ˧˥/

Interjection

za

1. An expression of surprise or confusion; compare wha, huh, eh.

References

• “za n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present

Further reading

• “za”, in Urban Dictionary, launched 1999.

Anagrams

• AZ, az, az-

Azerbaijani

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic ظَاء (ẓāʔ).

Noun

za (definite accusative zanı, plural zalar)

1. the Arabic letter ظ

Declension

Further reading

• “za” in Obastan.com.

Czech

Etymology

Inherited from Old Czech za, from Proto-Slavic *za.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈza]

Preposition

za [with accusative]

1. behind (movement) (to a place behind)

   sednout si za volant ― to sit down behind the wheel

   Schoval jsem se za auto. ― I hid behind the car.

2. by (to grab by, to take by) (denotes the object being grabbed)

   Smím tě vzít za ruku? ― Can I hold your hand?

3. in (time taken) (after time elapsed)

   Sejdeme se tady za dvě hodiny. ― Let's meet back here in two hours.

   Za celou dobu, co jsem ji znala, se ani nepodívala na jiného chlapa. ― For as long as I've known her, she never even looked at another man.

4. for (amount accumulated during a certain period)

   údaje za leden 2022 ― data for January 2022

5. for (in exchange of / in return for) (e.g. price)

   Kolik dolarů dostanu za 100 korun? ― How many dollars will I get for 100 crowns?

6. for (struggle/fight for)

   boj za nezávislost ― struggle for independence

7. on behalf of, for

   za vládu ― on behalf of the government

8. (responsible) for

   Kdo za to odpovídá? ― Who is responsible for that? / Who is behind that?

9. for (apologize for / grateful for)

   Se omlouvám za to, co jsem včera řekl. ― I apologize for what I said yesterday.

   Jsem vděčný za příležitost. ― I'm grateful for the opportunity.

10. for, in favor of

    Je za trest smrti. ― He is in favor of the death penalty.

11. as (consider as, recognize as)

    Pokládali jsme ho za přítele. ― We considered him a friend.

12. per

    100 km za hodinu ― 100 km per hour

Preposition

za [with instrumental]

1. behind, beyond (location)

   Zahrada je za domem. ― The garden is behind the house.

2. after

   den za dnem ― day after day

   Běžel za ním. ― He ran after him.

   Pojď za mnou. ― Follow me. (Come after me).

3. behind (figuratively: in support)

   Všichni stojíme za vámi. ― We're all behind you.

4. behind (indicating the cause)

   Ona je za tím vším? ― She is behind all this?

Preposition

za [with genitive]

1. during (during the time of)

   Brali jsme se za války. ― We got married during the war.

   Telefonovala za jízdy. ― She was talking on the phone while she was driving.

Antonyms

• před

Further reading

• “za”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “za”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “za”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech)

French

Noun

za

1. (obsolete, music) solfège syllable formerly used to represent B flat

Friulian

Alternative forms

• ğa (alternative orthography)

Etymology

From Latin iam. Compare Italian già.

Adverb

za

1. already

   Synonym: biel

Derived terms

• dizà
• bielzà

Hadza

Etymology

• Bantu, cf. Isanzu -za 'to come'

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dza/

Verb

za

1. to come

   Synonym: botcho

Isthmus Zapotec

Noun

za

1. cloud

Japanese

Romanization

za

1. The hiragana syllable ざ (za) or the katakana syllable ザ (za) in Hepburn romanization.

Kalasha

Noun

za

1. sauce, curry, gravy, stew

Kashubian

Alternative forms

• zó

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *za. Sense 1 is a semantic loan from Polish za.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈza/
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: za

Preposition

za

1. in, during [with genitive]
2. behind, beyond, after denotes location [with instrumental]
3. behind, beyond denotes movement [with accusative]

Particle

za

2. overly, excessively, too

Related terms

Further reading

• Stefan Ramułt (1893) “za”, in Słownik języka pomorskiego czyli kaszubskiego (in Kashubian), page 258
• Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011) “za”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi‎^[4]
• “za”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022

Lower Sorbian

Alternative forms

• sa (obsolete)

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *za.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /za/

Preposition

za

1. for [with accusative]

   Žarim za nowy kompjuter. ― I’m saving for a new computer.

   Mam list za tebje. ― I have a letter for you.

   Wóna jo za amt kandiděrowała. ― She ran for an office.

   Něnto pokuśim za swóje zmólki. ― I’m paying for my mistakes now.

   Ja som raz za njogo źěłał. ― I used to work for him.

   Smej awto za 200 euro kupiłej. ― We bought a car for 200 euros.

   Za ten lětny cas jo južo pśeliš górucy. ― It’s already too hot for this time of year.

2. in (after a period of time) [with accusative]

   Buźom tam za pěś minuty. ― I’ll be there in five minutes.

3. behind (goal-oriented) [with accusative]

   Wón jo šeł za dom. ― He went behind the house.

4. behind (stationary location) [with instrumental]

   Wón stoj za domom. ― He’s standing behind the house.

Mandarin

Romanization

za

1. Nonstandard spelling of zā.
2. Nonstandard spelling of zǎ.
3. Nonstandard spelling of zá.

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Mezquital Otomi

Alternative forms

• z̄ǎ (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zǎ/

Noun

zǎ

1. tree
2. wood
3. stick
4. firewood

Derived terms

References

• Andrews, Enriqueta (1950) Vocabulario otomí de Tasquillo, Hidalgo‎^[5] (in Spanish), México, D.F.: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, pages 40, 46, 63, 70
• Hernández Cruz, Luis, Victoria Torquemada, Moisés (2010) Diccionario del hñähñu (otomí) del Valle del Mezquital, estado de Hidalgo (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 45)‎^[6] (in Spanish), second edition, Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., page 397

Northern Ndebele

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-jìja.

Verb

-za

1. (intransitive) to come

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Nupe

Etymology

Clipping of ezà

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zà/

Noun

zà (plural zàzhì)

1. Alternative form of ezà (“person; individual”)

Old Czech

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *za.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (13^th CE) /ˈza/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /ˈza/

Preposition

za

1. in, during [with genitive]
2. behind, beyond denotes movement [with accusative]
3. for, as, being
4. in, after with time constructions [with accusative]
5. behind denotes location [with instrumental]

Descendants

• Czech: za

References

• Jan Gebauer (1903–1916) “za”, in Slovník staročeský (in Czech), Prague: Česká grafická společnost "unie", Česká akademie císaře Františka Josefa pro vědy, slovesnost a umění

Old Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *za. First attested in the 14th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /za(ː)/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /za/, /zɒ/

Preposition

za

1. (attested in Masovia) denotes location where an action is directed toward [with accusative]
2. denotes movement to a location behind something behind [with accusative]
3. denotes general location by, at [with accusative]
4. denotes distance behind [with accusative]
5. (attested in Greater Poland) denotes location of grabbing or contact by [with accusative]
6. (attested in Lesser Poland) denotes how long an action occurs for [with accusative]
7. (attested in Greater Poland) denotes length after which an action will begin in [with accusative or instrumental]
8. denotes position in time relative to a certain moment before
9. (attested in Masovia) denotes frequency of payment for; per [with accusative]
10. (attested in Lesser Poland) with an ordinal number; denotes which time in a sequence; for the _ time [with accusative]

    Synonym: po
11. used in verb government [with accusative or instrumental]
12. (attested in Masovia, Silesia) denotes benefactive action for [with accusative or instrumental]
13. (attested in Lesser Poland) denotes function or similarity as; for
14. (attested in Greater Poland) denotes cost for [with accusative]
15. (attested in Lesser Poland) denotes replacement with, for [with accusative]
16. (attested in Lesser Poland) denotes cause because of [with accusative or instrumental]
17. (attested in Masovia) denotes manner [with accusative or instrumental]
18. (attested in Lesser Poland) denotes aim or goal for [with accusative]
19. (attested in Greater Poland) denotes position behind something behind [with instrumental]
20. denotes the leader or causer of an action
21. (attested in Lesser Poland) denotes connection with someone with [with instrumental]
22. (attested in Greater Poland) denotes when something occurs at, during [with instrumental or genitive]
23. (attested in Greater Poland) based on [with instrumental]
24. (attested in Greater Poland) denotes actions occurring alongside other actions [with instrumental]
25. (attested in Lesser Poland) denotes object of payment for work [with instrumental]
26. (attested in Greater Poland) denotes an accompanying object

Postposition

za

1. The meaning of this term is uncertain.

Particle

za

1. (attested in Masovia) interrogative particle: introduces a yes-no question

   Synonym: azali
2. (attested in Greater Poland) combines with interrogatigives to mean what kind (of)

Derived terms

Descendants

• Polish: za
• Silesian: za

References

• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, Ewa Deptuchowa, Joanna Duska, Mariusz Frodyma, Beata Hejmo, Dorota Janeczko, Katarzyna Jasińska, Krystyna Kajtoch, Joanna Kozioł, Marian Kucała, Dorota Mika, Gabriela Niemiec, Urszula Poprawska, Elżbieta Supranowicz, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, Piotr Szpor, Bartłomiej Borek, editors (2011–2015), “za”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish za.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: za

Particle

za

1. overly, excessively, too

   Synonym: zbyt

   Ta koszula jest dla mnie za mała. ― This shirt is too small for me.

Trivia

According to Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej (1990), za (particle) is one of the most used words in Polish, appearing 1 time in scientific texts, 0 times in news, 0 times in essays, 8 times in fiction, and 59 times in plays, each out of a corpus of 100,000 words, totaling 68 times, making it the 957th most common word in a corpus of 500,000 words.

Preposition

za

1. behind, beyond, after denotes location [with instrumental]

   Dzieci schowały się za murem. ― The children hid behind the wall.

   Skręć w prawo tuż za restauracją. ― Turn right just after the restaurant.

2. behind indicates the cause of something [with instrumental]

   Ciekawe, co kryje się za jej dziwnym zachowaniem. ― I wonder what's behind her strange behaviour.

3. for, in favour of [with instrumental]

   Jestem za strajkiem. ― I am in favour of the strike.

   Czy ona jest za naszym pomysłem? ― Is she for our idea?

4. after later in time or sequence [with instrumental]

   Synonym: po

   godzina za godziną ― hour after hour

5. behind, beyond denotes movement [with accusative]

   Wyjeżdżamy za granicę na kilka dni. ― We're going abroad for a few days. (literally, “We're going beyond the border for a few days.”)

6. by denotes the object being grabbed [with accusative]

   Trzymać kogoś za rękę. ― To hold someone by the hand.

7. in, to with time constructions [with accusative]

   Za miesiąc będę miał 25 lat. ― In a month I'll be 25 years old.

   za pięć szósta ― five (minutes) to six

8. for, in return for [with accusative]

   On był wdzięczny za naszą pomoc. ― He was grateful for our help.

   Ile zapłaciłeś za to? ― How much did you pay for this?

9. in, during [with genitive]

   za starych czasów ― in olden times/in olden times

   za królowej Wiktorii ― during Queen Victoria's reign

Derived terms

Trivia

According to Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej (1990), za (particle) is one of the most used words in Polish, appearing 170 times in scientific texts, 192 times in news, 226 times in essays, 412 times in fiction, and 336 times in plays, each out of a corpus of 100,000 words, totaling 1336 times, making it the 30th most common word in a corpus of 500,000 words.

References

Further reading

• za in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• za in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• “ZA_I”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century], 06.07.2009
• “ZA_II”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century], 06.07.2009
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814) “za”, in Słownik języka polskiego
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861) “za”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1927), “za”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 8, Warsaw, page 6

Rwanda-Rundi

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-jìja.

Verb

-za (infinitive kūza, perfective -je)

1. to come

Usage notes

Both the present and perfective stems cause the preceding vowel to be lengthened.

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *za.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /za/

Preposition

za (Cyrillic spelling за)

1. for (expressing a reason) [with accusative]

   glasati za nekoga ― to vote for somebody

   prodati nešto za 100 dolara ― to sell something for a hundred dollars

   platiti za radoznalost ― to pay for one's curiosity

   bojati se za nekoga ― to fear for somebody

   doći kući za praznike ― to come home for the holiday season

2. behind, in back of, at (without change of position, answering the question gdjȅ/gdȅ) [with instrumental]

   sjediti/sedeti za stolom ― to sit at the table

   Idi za mnom. ― Follow me. (Go behind me.)

3. during [with genitive]

   za dana ― during the day, during daylight

   za života ― during one's life

   za vr(ij)eme rata ― during the war

4. to, toward [with accusative]

   cesta za Beč ― the road to Vienna

   putovati za Beč ― to travel to Vienna

5. in (in expressions with time) [with accusative]

   doći opet za nekoliko dana ― to come back in a few days

   pretrčati 100 metara za 9 sekundi ― to run 100 meters in 9 seconds

6. by [with accusative]

   uzeti za ruku ― to take by the hand

   uhvatiti za ruku ― to grab by the arm

   vući za uši ― to pull by the ears

7. for, as (with verbs denoting naming, appointing, declaring, considering, etc.) [with accusative]

   postaviti nekoga za preds(j)ednika ― to appoint somebody president

   držati nekoga za pametnog čov(j)eka ― to consider somebody a smart person

8. after [with instrumental]

   jedan za drugim ― one after another

   praviti grešku za greškom ― to make one error after another; to make errors repeatedly

   Ponovite za mnom. ― Repeat after me.

9. for [with instrumental]

   tugovati za nekim ― to grieve for somebody

   čeznuti za srećom ― to yearn for happiness

   Ljudi koji svakodnevno imaju potrebu za čokoladnim stvarima. ― People who have a daily need for chocolate stuff.

   Često se misli da je želja za određenom vrstom hrane psihološke prirode. ― It is often thought that the desire for certain type of food is of psychological nature.

Sicilian

Etymology

From Late Latin thia, from Ancient Greek θεία (theía).

Noun

za

1. aunt

Related terms

• tzitzi
• zu

Silesian

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish za.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈza/
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: za

Preposition

za

1. denotes location; behind [with instrumental]
2. denotes movement; behind, beyond [with instrumental]
3. denotes period; in, during [with genitive]
4. denotes object of emotions; for [with instrumental]
5. denotes object of exchange; for [with accusative]
6. denotes source or cause; for [with genitive]
7. denotes desired object; for [with accusative]
8. denotes time; in [with accusative]

   Synonym: po

9. with repeated nouns; denotes time after [with instrumental]

   Synonym: po

   dziyń za dniym ― day after day

10. denotes location not within; outside [with instrumental]

    Synonyms: pod, poza

    Antonym: w

11. with an ordinal number and rŏz for (the Xth time) [with instrumental]

    Synonym: po

12. indicates amount; for [with accusative]
13. used to denote elapsing time; in [with accusative]
14. denotes profession. [with accusative]
15. denotes a trait; for, as [with accusative]

Related terms

Further reading

• za in dykcjonorz.eu
• za in silling.org

Slovak

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *za.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [za]

Preposition

za

This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {}.

Further reading

• “za”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2024

Slovene

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *za.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /za/

Preposition

za

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {}. [with genitive]
2. behind (stationary) [with instrumental]
3. after, following (in time) [with instrumental]
4. behind (motion to) [with accusative]
5. for [with accusative]

Further reading

• “za”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2024

Slovincian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *za.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈza/
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: za

Preposition

za [with case]

1. denotes movement; behind, beyond [with accusative]
2. denotes object being grabbed; by [with accusative]
3. denotes time after which something happens; in [with accusative]
4. denotes object of defense, help, etc.; for [with accusative]
5. denotes object of exchange; for [with accusative]
6. denotes aim or object of determination; for [with accusative]
7. denotes manner of buying and selling; for [with accusative]
8. denotes location; behind [with instrumental]
9. denotes object of desire; for [with instrumental]

Derived terms

Further reading

• Lorentz, Friedrich (1912) “zã”, in Slovinzisches Wörterbuch‎^[28] (in German), volume 2, Saint Petersburg: ОРЯС ИАН, page 1284

Spanish

Interjection

za (¡za!)

1. (usually said to an animal) scat, get out of here, shoo

Further reading

• “za”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Sumerian

Romanization

za

1. Romanization of 𒍝 (za)

Swahili

Particle

za

1. N class inflected form of -a (plural only).

Tedim Chin

Etymology

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *yan, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *b-r-gya.

Numeral

za

1. hundred

References

• Zomi Ordbog based on the work of D.L. Haokip

Volapük

Etymology

From Latin circa (“around”) and its descendants, ultimately from Ancient Greek κρίκος (kríkos, “ring”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /t͡sa/

Preposition

za

1. around, about, approximately, circa

See also

• dö (“about, of, concerning”)

Xhosa

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-jìja.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [z̥a̤]

Verb

-za

1. (intransitive) to come

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Related terms

• -zama

Zou

Etymology

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *yan, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *b-r-gya.

Numeral

za

1. hundred

References

• Lukram Himmat Singh (2013) A Descriptive Grammar of Zou, Canchipur: Manipur University

Zulu

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-jìja.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /za/

Verb

-za

1. (intransitive) to come

Inflection

Related terms

• -zama

References

• C. M. Doke, B. W. Vilakazi (1972) “za”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “za”