zest

noun

1
: a piece of the peel of a citrus fruit (such as an orange or lemon) used as flavoring
2
: an enjoyably exciting quality : piquancy
adds zest to the performance
3
: keen enjoyment : relish, gusto
has a zest for living
zestful adjective
zestfully adverb
zestfulness noun
zestless adjective

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Zest and Cooking

Zest can spice up your life—fitting for a word that English acquired from the world of cooking. Zest comes from French zeste, the name for orange or lemon peel used to flavor food or drinks. English speakers adopted the French meaning and developed an additional one referring to any quality that adds enjoyment to something in the same way that the zest of an orange or lemon adds flavor to food.

Examples of zest in a Sentence

His humor added zest to the performance. His humor added a certain zest to the performance. The recipe calls for a tablespoon of lemon zest.
Recent Examples on the Web Active Time: 40 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 10 mins Servings: 12 Lemon raspberry cake is made with fresh lemon zest and fresh lemon juice, plus tangy sour cream to balance out the sweetness of the berries. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2024 Garnish with an extra drizzle of olive oil, some fresh lemon zest and a dash of coarse salt before replacing the top half of the baguette and serving immediately. Laura McLively, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024 However, don’t let this zest for perfection lead to concealing potential problems with the home. Terri Williams, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Lemon zest and juice bring the floral fragrance and tartness of citrus to the batter, which is creamy and light from yogurt. Genevieve Ko, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2024 The festival participants were naked or half-naked, which added a special zest to what was going on. Nastya Platinova, SPIN, 21 Feb. 2024 Joel opened up about losing his zest for music for a while. Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 1 Feb. 2024 Grated lemon zest adds zip to green vegetables — added last-minute, to avoid discoloring - and perfumes whipped cream for plopping on pie slices. Bonnie S. Benwick, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024 In a small mixing bowl, whisk garlic, lemon zest and juice together. Mary G. Pepitone, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'zest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

obsolete French (now zeste), orange or lemon peel (used as flavoring)

First Known Use

circa 1674, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of zest was circa 1674

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Dictionary Entries Near zest

Cite this Entry

“Zest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zest. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

zest

noun
1
: a piece of the peel of a citrus fruit (as an orange or lemon) used as a flavoring
2
: a quality that increases enjoyment
added zest to the performance
3
: keen enjoyment : relish
has a zest for life
zestful adjective
zestfully adverb
zestfulness noun
zesty
ˈzes-tē
adjective
Etymology

from obsolete French zest (now zeste) "orange or lemon peel used for flavoring"

Word Origin
Zest was borrowed into English in the 17th century from the French zest (now spelled zeste), meaning "an orange or lemon peel." Where the French got the word we do not know. The peels of oranges and lemons are sometimes used to add flavor to food and drinks. The earliest uses of zest in English refer to the peel of such fruit used in this way. By the early 18th century, however, zest had developed another meaning. It was used to refer to a quality that adds enjoyment to something, in the same way that the zest of an orange or lemon adds flavor to food.

More from Merriam-Webster on zest

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