Meanings
plural dzuds · alternative zud
- An ecological crisis in the steppe-land of Mongolia and Central Asia causing loss of livestock, for example a drought, or a severe winter in which snow or ice block animals' access to the grass.
But the country [Mongolia] is currently experiencing a "dzud" – when a summer drought followed by a severe winter decimates the grazing areas.
2010 April 7, Linda Pressly, “Mongolia on verge of mineral boom”, in BBC News, archived from the original on 29 Apr 20151 more example
Because migration distances are increasingly limited, people are increasingly vulnerable to various kinds of harsh winter or zud […] that can devastate herd populations and herder livelihoods.
2022, Thomas Halliday, Otherworlds, Penguin, published 2023, page 3
Origin
- Mongolianзуд
- Englishdzud
Borrowed from Mongolian зуд (zud)/ᠵᠤᠳ (ǰud).
More words from Mongolian
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 冬災 /冬灾
- 冬災 /冬灾 (dōngzāi)a summer drought followed by a severe winter, generally causing serious loss of livestock
French dzud
- dzuda summer drought followed by a severe winter, generally causing serious loss of livestock
German Zud, Dsud
- Zuda summer drought followed by a severe winter, generally causing serious loss of livestock
- Dsuda summer drought followed by a severe winter, generally causing serious loss of livestock
Italian zud
- zuda summer drought followed by a severe winter, generally causing serious loss of livestock
Korean 조드
- 조드 (jodeu)a summer drought followed by a severe winter, generally causing serious loss of livestock
Russian дзуд
- дзуд (dzud)a summer drought followed by a severe winter, generally causing serious loss of livestock
Turkish zud
- zuda summer drought followed by a severe winter, generally causing serious loss of livestock
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with dzud
Cite this entry
dzud. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dzud
“dzud.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dzud. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dzud,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dzud.
Source: dzud on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.