ze

1. nonstandardNonstandard spelling of the, usually signifying a foreign accent, often French or German.

   At ze Palace of Beauxbatons, we ’ave ice sculptures all around ze Dining Chamber at Chreetsmas. Zey do not melt, of course … zey are like ’uge statues of diamond, glittering around ze place.

   2000 July 8, J. K. Rowling [pseudonym; Joanne Rowling], “The Yule Ball”, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter; 4), London: Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 364

   1 more example

   Then one French-American sous-chef, still in his white kitchen gear, climbed down from the cockpit, where he had been inspecting the cabin, peering inside, murmuring, "wonderfool–wonderfool, ze workmansheep!"

   1992, Tristan Jones, Adrift, page 257

   Synonyms: za

1. nonstandardrarea gender-neutral third-person singular subject pronoun, equivalent to singular they, and coordinate with gendered pronouns he and she.

   Hir face was implacable, but ze dashed away in tears.

   2011 March 15, M. J. Locke, Up Against It, New York: Tor, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OL, LCC PS3612.O249 U7 2011, page 361

   4 more examples

   But I do know what sex ze is. It used to influence me. But now I talk to hir like a normal person. I mean, without thinking about what ze is.

   1996 June, Caitlin Sullivan with Bornstein, Kate, Nearly Roadkill: an Infobahn erotic adventure, New York: Serpent's Tail, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OL, LCC PS3569.U3449 N43 1996, page 10

   A case in point is Tula, a transgendered woman who for years lived well as a model and actress until ze was outed in both national and international media.

   1997 December 18, Kate Bornstein, My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man, a Real Woman, the Real You, or Something Else Entirely, London, New York: Routledge, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OL, LCC HQ1075.B69 1998, page 130

   Ze takes my right hand in hirs and folds it into a fist.

   2006 March 22, Leslie Feinberg, Drag King Dreams, New York: Carroll & Graf, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OL, LCC PS3556.E427 D73 2006, page 205

   Ze changed hir name to one of those New Testament names, and re-fashioned hirself into a soft, puffy, half-finished hermaphrodite nicknamed, The Pop n' Fresh Doe.

   2010 October 12, Erika Lopez, The Girl Must Die: A Monster Girl Memoir, Hicken, Jeffrey, San Francisco: Monster Girl Media, →ISBN, →LCCN, page 143

plural zes

1. The name of the Cyrillic script letter З / з.

1. abbreviationinitialismuncountableInitialism of Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

1. InternetderogatoryVolodymyr Zelenskyy.

   Ze, as he’s been nicknamed, charmed his country with his wit, his charisma, his irreverent talent.

   2023, Jessie Asya Kanzer, “Preface”, in Unlocking Your Inner Zelensky: Lessons We Can All Learn from an Unexpected Leader, New York, N.Y.: St. Martin’s Essentials, →ISBN

   Synonyms: Zee, Zelly