Meanings
- historicalUntil 1974, the official name for the Shetland Islands.
1 more example
That long, narrow, and irregular island, usually called the Main-Land of Zetland, because it is by far the largest of that Archipelago, terminates, as is well known to the mariners who navigate the stormy seas which surround the Thule of the ancients, in a cliff of tremendous height, entitled Sumburgh-Head, which presents its bare scalp and naked sides to the weight of a tremendous surge, and forms the extreme point of the isle to the south-east.
1822, [Walter Scott], chapter I, in The Pirate. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 3 - An inner southern suburb of the City of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, named after Thomas Dundas, 2nd Earl of Zetland.
Origin
- Middle ScotsȜetland
- EnglishZetland
Spelling pronunciation of Middle Scots Ȝetland with the letter ⟨ȝ⟩ confused with ⟨z⟩.
More words from Middle Scots
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French Zetland
- Zetlandold name for the Shetland Islands
Polish Zetland
- Zetlandold name for the Shetland Islands
Cite this entry
Zetland. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Zetland
“Zetland.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Zetland. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Zetland,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Zetland.
Source: Zetland on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.