Baltic religion: Religious personages: …persons were called sorcerers (Zauberer) and, according to church records, were treated by the Balts with the same reverence as bishops were treated by Christians.

Karl Gutzkow: His final well-known work, Der Zauberer von Rom (1858–61; “The Magician of Rome”), is a powerful study of Roman Catholic life in southern Germany.

The Magic Flute, singspiel in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with a German libretto by Austrian actor and theatrical producer Emanuel Schikaneder. The opera, Mozart’s last, premiered at the rustic Theater auf der Wieden near Vienna on September 30, 1791, not long before Mozart’s death on

Switzerland: The postwar period: In 1959 the so-called Zauberformel (“magic formula”) for the Federal Council was established, under which it was composed of two liberals, two conservatives, two Social Democrats, and one member of the peasant-based Swiss People’s Party. This formula, which persisted until 2003, permitted the government to sidestep party rivalries to…

Haile Selassie I: Zauditu, Menilek II’s daughter, thereupon became empress in 1917, and Ras Tafari was named regent and heir apparent to the throne.

John Zoffany was a German-born portrait painter who in late 18th-century England made his reputation with paintings depicting episodes from contemporary theatre and with portraits and conversation pieces (i.e., paintings of groups of people in their customary surroundings). Zoffany, after studying

John Zoffany was a German-born portrait painter who in late 18th-century England made his reputation with paintings depicting episodes from contemporary theatre and with portraits and conversation pieces (i.e., paintings of groups of people in their customary surroundings). Zoffany, after studying

Gaylen Gerber: …words), and Swiss text-based conceptualist Rémy Zaugg (who also explored words and their context and presentation). Gerber’s gray paintings, associated with institutional neutrality, integrated cohesively with the other diverse works. By becoming part of the background or architecture (indeed, these paintings were often titled Backdrop), Gerber’s works subtly foregrounded the…

Futurism: Literature: Their invented zaum—the largely untranslatable name given to their “transrational” language—was intended to take language beyond logical meanings in the direction of a new visionary mysticism. Kruchenykh’s opera Pobeda nad solncem (1913; “Victory over the Sun”) and Khlebnikov’s play Zangezi (1922) are two of the most-important examples…

John Zoffany was a German-born portrait painter who in late 18th-century England made his reputation with paintings depicting episodes from contemporary theatre and with portraits and conversation pieces (i.e., paintings of groups of people in their customary surroundings). Zoffany, after studying

ancient Iranian religion: Cultic practices, worship, and festivals: …early period a priest, the zautar (Vedic hotar), was required to properly carry out the yasna. The zautar might be assisted by a number of other ritual specialists. With the priest or priests acting on behalf of the sacrificer, the god or gods were invoked through the intermediary of Fire.…

Yury Alexandrovich Zavadsky was a Soviet actor, director, and teacher whose eclectic vision ranged from foreign classics to modern heroic drama. Zavadsky made his acting debut while studying with Eugene Vakhtangov, at whose theater he played Anthony in Maurice Maeterlinck’s The Miracle of St.

Zavaritzki caldera, wide caldera volcano with a summit of 2,008 feet (612 meters) located on Simushir Island in the Kuril Islands. The volcano is part of a system made up of three nested calderas with diameters of 10 km (6.2 miles), 8 km (5 miles), and 3 km (1.9 miles), respectively, that form

Zavaritzki caldera, wide caldera volcano with a summit of 2,008 feet (612 meters) located on Simushir Island in the Kuril Islands. The volcano is part of a system made up of three nested calderas with diameters of 10 km (6.2 miles), 8 km (5 miles), and 3 km (1.9 miles), respectively, that form

Zavaritzki caldera, wide caldera volcano with a summit of 2,008 feet (612 meters) located on Simushir Island in the Kuril Islands. The volcano is part of a system made up of three nested calderas with diameters of 10 km (6.2 miles), 8 km (5 miles), and 3 km (1.9 miles), respectively, that form

Cesare Zavattini was an Italian screenwriter, poet, painter, and novelist, known as a leading exponent of Italian Neorealism. Born into a humble family, Zavattini completed a law degree at the University of Parma and began a career in journalism and publishing. He wrote two successful comic

Emir Kusturica: The 21st century: …a Miracle) and Zavet (2007; Promise Me This). The former deals with life in a small Bosnian town as the war approaches, and the latter concerns the vow given by a grandfather to his grandson. Though both films are typically heartwarming, they are generally considered less successful and somewhat repetitive.…

Wenceslas II: …was dominated by the ambitious Zaviš of Falkenstein, his mother’s lover and later her husband. Wenceslas arrested Zaviš in 1289, destroyed the dissident faction, and executed his rival in 1290. Thereafter he governed his kingdom successfully, exploiting its natural resources and increasing its wealth. After annexing most of Upper Silesia,…

Yury Karlovich Olesha: …published in book form 1928; Envy), the central theme of which is the fate of the intelligentsia in Russia’s postrevolutionary society. Olesha’s obvious enthusiasm for the new state of affairs did not hinder him from seeing and conveying to the reader the dramatic clash between the rational industrial state and…

Severino Antinori: …partner was American fertility specialist Panayiotis Zavos, who claimed that he and Antinori expected to produce a viable human embryo within 18 months. In order to produce the clones, Antinori and Zavos planned to impregnate women with embryos made with the DNA of the child’s intended father. The children would,…

Yevgeny Konstantinovich Zavoysky was a Soviet physicist who discovered electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), also known as electron spin resonance (ESR). Zavoysky graduated from Kazan State University in 1930 and taught physics there in 1933–47. His program of research in radio and microwave

Ayman al-Zawahiri was an Egyptian physician and militant who became one of the major ideologues of al-Qaeda. Zawahiri led al-Qaeda from 2011 until his death in 2022. Zawahiri was raised in Maʿādī, Egypt, several miles south of Cairo. Although his parents were from prominent families, Zawahiri and

Ayman al-Zawahiri was an Egyptian physician and militant who became one of the major ideologues of al-Qaeda. Zawahiri led al-Qaeda from 2011 until his death in 2022. Zawahiri was raised in Maʿādī, Egypt, several miles south of Cairo. Although his parents were from prominent families, Zawahiri and

Mauritania: Ethnic groups: …in their own language as zawāyā after the name of a place of religious study (see zāwiyah)—who were holy men and scholars of religious texts. The warriors generally claimed Arab descent, and many of the zawāyā traced their origins to Amazigh lineages. The greatest part of the Bīḍān population consisted…

Haile Selassie I: Zauditu, Menilek II’s daughter, thereupon became empress in 1917, and Ras Tafari was named regent and heir apparent to the throne.

Chinese literature: 1927–37: …bitingly satirical random essays (zawen) that became his trademark. Among the many active prewar novelists, the most successful were Mao Dun, Lao She, and Ba Jin.

history of Mesopotamia: The emergence of Mesopotamian civilization: …are the adjacent sites of Zawi Chemi Shanidar and Shanidar itself, which lie northwest of Rawāndūz. They date from the transition from the 10th to the 9th millennium bce and are classified as prepottery. The finds included querns (primitive mills) for grinding grain (whether wild or cultivated is not known),…

Al-Zāwiyah, town, situated on the Mediterranean coast about 30 miles (50 km) west of Tripoli, northwestern Libya. Lying on Al-Jifārah plain, it is near the site of an important oil field and has the country’s first oil refinery. Agriculture is prominent in the area because of the ample groundwater

Miles Davis: Free jazz and fusion: …including keyboardists Chick Corea and Joe Zawinul and guitarist John McLaughlin, Davis cut In a Silent Way (1969), regarded as the seminal album of the jazz fusion movement. It was considered by purists to be Davis’s last true jazz album.

Miles Davis: Free jazz and fusion: …including keyboardists Chick Corea and Joe Zawinul and guitarist John McLaughlin, Davis cut In a Silent Way (1969), regarded as the seminal album of the jazz fusion movement. It was considered by purists to be Davis’s last true jazz album.

zāwiyah, generally, in the Muslim world, a monastic complex, usually the centre or a settlement of a Sufi (mystical) brotherhood. In some Arabic countries the Arabic term zāwiyah is also used for any small private oratory not paid for by community funds. The first North African zāwiyah, dating from

Al-Zāwiyah, town, situated on the Mediterranean coast about 30 miles (50 km) west of Tripoli, northwestern Libya. Lying on Al-Jifārah plain, it is near the site of an important oil field and has the country’s first oil refinery. Agriculture is prominent in the area because of the ample groundwater

Zāwiyat al-Bayḍāʾ, town, northeastern Libya. It is a new town lying on a high ridge 20 miles (32 km) from the Mediterranean Sea. Built in the late 1950s on the site of the tomb of Rawayfī ibn Thābit (a Companion of the Prophet Muhammad), it was planned as the future national capital. Although

Zāwiyat al-Bayḍāʾ, town, northeastern Libya. It is a new town lying on a high ridge 20 miles (32 km) from the Mediterranean Sea. Built in the late 1950s on the site of the tomb of Rawayfī ibn Thābit (a Companion of the Prophet Muhammad), it was planned as the future national capital. Although

Kuwait: Relief: The Al-Zawr Escarpment, one of the main topographic features, borders the northwestern shore of Kuwait Bay and rises to a maximum elevation of 475 feet (145 metres). Elsewhere in coastal areas, large patches of salty marshland have developed. Throughout the northern, western, and central sections of…

Iran: Drainage: The Zayandeh River, the lifeline of Isfahan province, also originates in the Zagros Mountains, flowing southeastward to Gavkhuni Marsh (Gāvkhāneh Lake), a swamp northwest of the city of Yazd. The completion of the Kūhrang Dam in 1971 diverted water from the upper Karun through a tunnel…

Cuban Revolution: Independence, instability, and continued U.S. intervention: …Mario García Menocal (1913–21), and Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso (1921–25). During this period the U.S. interfered twice in Cuba and threatened to intervene several more times. During the Gómez administration the country prospered, but charges of corruption in the government rose. The government was accused of giving few offices to…

María de Zayas y Sotomayor was one of the most important of the minor 17th-century Spanish novelists and one of the first women to publish prose fiction in the Castilian dialect. Little is known of Zayas’ life except that she was born into a noble family in Madrid and may have lived in Zaragoza,

Qurʾān: Origin and compilation: A companion of the Prophet, Zayd ibn Thābit, reportedly copied out on sheets of parchment whatever proclamations he could find and handed them over to the second caliph (leader of the Islamic community), ʿUmar (reigned 634–644 ce). After ʿUmar’s death the collection was inherited by his daughter Ḥafṣah. In order…

Shiʿi: Anti-Umayyad movements: the Zaydi Shiʿah and the ʿAbbāsids: …these risings was led by Zayd ibn ʿAlī, a half-brother of ʿAlī’s great grandson Muḥammad al-Bāqir by ʿAlī’s son Ḥusayn. In 740, encouraged by Kufan elements, Zayd rose against the Umayyads, on the principle that the imam could lay claim to leadership only if he openly declared himself imam. Zayd…

Arabic literature: The novel: …found a notable exponent in Jurjī Zaydān, who used the pages of his own journal, Al-Hilāl, to publish a series of novels that educated and entertained generations of readers by setting key events in Islamic history against local backgrounds.

Zaydiyyah, sect of Shiʿi Muslims owing allegiance to Zayd ibn ʿAlī, grandson of al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī. Zayd was a son of the fourth Shiʿi imam, ʿAlī ibn Ḥusayn, and a brother of Muḥammad al-Bāqir. At a time when the designation and role of the Shiʿi imam was being defined, the followers of Zayd

Zaydiyyah, sect of Shiʿi Muslims owing allegiance to Zayd ibn ʿAlī, grandson of al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī. Zayd was a son of the fourth Shiʿi imam, ʿAlī ibn Ḥusayn, and a brother of Muḥammad al-Bāqir. At a time when the designation and role of the Shiʿi imam was being defined, the followers of Zayd

Zaydiyyah, sect of Shiʿi Muslims owing allegiance to Zayd ibn ʿAlī, grandson of al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī. Zayd was a son of the fourth Shiʿi imam, ʿAlī ibn Ḥusayn, and a brother of Muḥammad al-Bāqir. At a time when the designation and role of the Shiʿi imam was being defined, the followers of Zayd

Dubai: Education: …University in Dubai (1995) and Zayed University (1998), enjoy good reputations locally. Most of the staff are expatriates, with a significant proportion being from North America.

South Asian arts: Kashmiri: …of the country, such as Zayn-ul-ʿĀbidīn, in whose 15th-century court were many scholars and poets writing in both the Kashmiri and Persian languages.

ʿAlī: ʿAlī and Islam to the death of Muhammad: …it were born a daughter, Zaynab—who played a major role during the Umayyad period in claiming the rights of the family of the Prophet after her brother Ḥusayn was killed in Iraq—and two sons, Ḥasan and Ḥusayn. The latter two are the ancestors of those known as sharīf or sayyid…

Arabic literature: The novel: …a novel, Zaynab (English translation: Mohammed Hussein Haikal’s Zainab), by “a peasant Egyptian.” It presents the reader with a thoroughly nostalgic picture of the Egyptian countryside, which serves as the backdrop for the fervent advocacy of the need for women’s education. The author, Muḥammad Ḥusayn Haykal, had written the work…

Lake Zaysan, freshwater body in eastern Kazakhstan. It is located in a hollow between the Altai (northeast) and Tarbagatay (southwest) mountain ranges at an elevation of 1,266 feet (386 metres). Formed by the Irtysh (Ertis) River, which enters the lake in the east, it was originally 60 miles (100

Irina Rodnina: …first Alexei Ulanov and later Aleksandr Zaytsev, won 10 successive world championships (1969–78) and three successive Olympic gold medals.

Quanzhou, port and city, eastern coastal Fujian sheng (province), China. It is situated on the north bank of the Jin River, at the head of the river’s estuary, facing the Taiwan Strait. Pop. (2002 est.) city, 497,723; (2007 est.) urban agglom., 1,463,000. A Quanzhou prefecture was established there

Al-Zaytūnah, mosque in Tunis and the seat of an important Muslim university. Dating to the 8th century, the mosque was rebuilt in the 9th century during Aghlabid rule. It subsequently became one of the most important mosques in Tunisia and was the source of the intellectual elite in the early 20th

ʿAbd al-Wādid Dynasty, dynasty of Zanātah Berbers (1236–1550), successors to the Almohad empire in northwestern Algeria. In 1236 the Zanātahs, loyal vassals to the Almohads, gained the support of other Berber tribes and nomadic Arabs and set up a kingdom at Tilimsān (Tlemcen), headed by the Zanātah

Gloria Swanson: … (1919), Male and Female (1919), Zaza (1923), Bluebeard’s 8th Wife (1923), and Madame Sans-Gêne (1925). She then formed her own production company, making such pictures as Sadie Thompson (1928), Queen Kelly (1929, unfinished), and her first talkie, The Trespasser (1929). She was nominated for the first-ever Academy Award for best…

hutia: Classification and paleontology: …oldest species of hutia (genus Zazamys) is represented by Cuban fossils from the early Miocene Epoch (23 to 13.8 million years ago); remains of the eight genera listed below do not date earlier than the Pleistocene Epoch (2,600,000 to 11,700 years ago). Five species of giant hutia belonging to a…

Michał Choromański: …novel Zazdrość i medycyna (1933; Jealousy and Medicine), a clinical study of the relationship between medicine and sex, was an instant success. At the outbreak of World War II he fled Poland and lived in South America and Canada, respectively, before returning to Poland in 1957. His later fiction includes…

zazen, in Zen Buddhism, seated meditation. The instructions for zazen direct the disciple to sit in a quiet room, breathing rhythmically and easily, with legs fully or half crossed, spine and head erect, hands folded one palm above the other, and eyes open. Logical, analytic thinking should be

Louis Malle: …1960s included the zany comedy Zazie dans le métro (1960) and the musical satire Viva Maria! (1965).

Zaria, historic kingdom, traditional emirate, and local government council in Kaduna State, northern Nigeria, with its headquarters at Zaria (q.v.) city. The kingdom is traditionally said to date from the 11th century, when King Gunguma founded it as one of the original Hausa Bakwai (Seven True

Jacopo Peri was an Italian composer noted for his contribution to the development of dramatic vocal style in early Baroque opera. Under the early sponsorship of the Florentine Cristofano Malvezzi, Peri had published by 1583 both an instrumental work and a madrigal. After early posts as an organist

zaatar, spice mix used in Levantine cuisine. The spice mixture zaatar is generally considered to be named for one of the mixture’s primary ingredients, an herb called zaʿatar in Arabic, usually thyme. Though there are a number of variations, zaatar often includes an amalgam of thyme, oregano, and

Qūchān: …descended from a tribe of Zaʿfarānlū Kurds resettled there by Shāh ʿAbbās I in the 17th century. In return for frontier military service, the resettled Kurds enjoyed a wide-ranging autonomy under a hereditary tribal leader and were exempt from all tribute. Many of the area’s inhabitants are still nomads and…

zaʿīm, Political leader, either an officeholder or power broker. The term has been used especially in Lebanon, where it designated the power brokers of the various sectarian

Tall al-Zaʿtar, former Palestinian refugee camp, Jabal Lubnān muḥāfaẓah (governorate), central Lebanon, north of Beirut, near Nabʿah. The camp was the last large Muslim outpost in the midst of the predominantly Christian inhabited area of north Lebanon and had a population estimated at 15,000 in

Bren machine gun, British adaptation of a Czech light machine gun. Its name originated as an acronym from Brno, where the Czech gun was made, and Enfield, where the British adaptation was made. Gas-operated and air-cooled, the Bren was first produced in 1937 and became one of the most widely used

industrial glass: Heavy-metal fluoride glasses: …studied HMFG is the so-called ZBLAN group, containing fluorides of zirconium, barium, lanthanum, aluminum, and sodium.

Ukraine: The Khmelnytsky insurrection: But neither the Treaty of Zboriv (August 1649) nor a less favourable agreement two years later proved acceptable—either to the Polish nobility or to the Cossack rank and file and the radicalized masses on the Ukrainian side.

Ukraine: The Khmelnytsky insurrection: But neither the Treaty of Zboriv (August 1649) nor a less favourable agreement two years later proved acceptable—either to the Polish nobility or to the Cossack rank and file and the radicalized masses on the Ukrainian side.

Jan Hus: Leader of Czech reform movement: …adviser to the young nobleman Zbyněk Zajíc of Hazmburk when Zbyněk was named archbishop of Prague in 1403, a move that helped to give the reform movement a firmer foundation.

Zambia: Economy: …were merged into the giant Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Ltd.

Slavic religion: Principal divine beings: …the pagan and pirate Slavs) Zcerneboch (or Chernobog), the Black God, and Tiarnoglofi, the Black Head (Mind or Brain). The Black God survives in numerous Slavic curses and in a White God, whose aid is sought to obtain protection or mercy in Bulgaria, Serbia, and Pomerania. This religious dualism of…

Morgan Tsvangirai: Early life and involvement with trade unions: …he became secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), the national federation of trade unions. In 1997–98 Tsvangirai successfully led a series of strikes against President Mugabe’s taxation policy. He also served as a chairman of the National Constitutional Assembly, a nongovernmental organization formed in 1997 to support…

Bohemian-Moravian Highlands: …m) at Javořice, and the Žd’ár Heights (Žd’árské vrchy) to the north rise to 2,743 feet (836 m) at Devět skal. On the Moravian side, the Drahanská vrchovina group of limestone hills contains the famous Moravian Karst (q.v.). The Bohemian-Moravian Highlands are part of a major watershed between the Elbe…

Bohemian-Moravian Highlands: …m) at Javořice, and the Žd’ár Heights (Žd’árské vrchy) to the north rise to 2,743 feet (836 m) at Devět skal. On the Moravian side, the Drahanská vrchovina group of limestone hills contains the famous Moravian Karst (q.v.). The Bohemian-Moravian Highlands are part of a major watershed between the Elbe…

Matthias Zdarsky was a ski instructor who was considered the father of Alpine skiing and who was probably the first regular ski instructor in Austria. Zdarsky became interested in skiing after reading Fridtjof Nansen’s Auf Schneeschuhen durch Grönland (1891; Across Greenland on Snowshoes) and

Czechoslovak history: The Hussite preponderance: …noblemen from Bohemia, headed by Zdeněk of Šternberk, formed a hostile league at Zelená Hora (1465) and entered into negotiations with Breslau and other Catholic centres. Shortly before Christmas 1466, the pope excommunicated George and released his Catholic subjects from their oath of allegiance. In the spring of 1467 George’s…

Germany: Broadcasting: …by a second television network, ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen), which is based in Mainz. A third channel is operated by ARD but is organized and broadcast regionally, with special emphasis placed on local and regional events and school instruction, as well as on educational, informational, and fine arts programs. The…

Czesław Miłosz: Literary works: …his novel Zdobycie władzy (1955; The Seizure of Power). His poetic works are noted for their classical style and their preoccupation with philosophical and political issues. An important example is Traktat poetycki (1957; Treatise on Poetry), which combines a defense of poetry with a history of Poland from 1918 to…

Karel Čapek: …života hmyzu (with Josef, 1921; The Insect Play) satirizes human greed, complacency, and selfishness, emphasizing the relativity of human values and the need to come to terms with life. His faith in democracy made him support his friend Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and write a biography of him. The quest for…

Gilberto Gil: Gal Costa, Maria Bethânia, and Tom Zé. These and other songwriters and poets (such as Torquato Neto and Capinan) sought to transform the cultural landscape of the country. Gil, who was impressed with the music of older singer and guitarist João Gilberto, added the guitar to the list of instruments…

Zea, genus of five species of large grasses of the family Poaceae, native to Mexico and Mesoamerica. The best-known species is corn, or maize (Zea mays mays), which was derived from one of the Mexican teosintes (likely Z. mays parviglumis) in pre-Columbian times more than 6,000 years ago. Several

corn, (Zea mays), cereal plant of the grass family (Poaceae) and its edible grain. The domesticated crop originated in the Americas and is one of the most widely distributed of the world’s food crops. Corn is used as human food, livestock feed, as biofuel, and as raw material in industry. Corn was

teosinte: …mays), was derived from the Balsas teosinte (Z. mays parviglumis) of southern Mexico in pre-Columbian times more than 6,000 years ago.

Zealand, largest and most populous island of Denmark, lying between the Kattegat and the Baltic Sea, separated from Sweden by The Sound (Øresund) and from Funen (Fyn) island by the Great Belt. Zealand’s basal rock platform is exposed in the chalk and limestone cliffs at Stevns Klint—which was

A Tale of Two Submerged Continents: …underwater plateau (which they called Zealandia) was once an emergent continent that was connected to Gondwana (a supercontinent which lasted from perhaps 600 million to 140 million years ago). Zealandia, it seems, slipped beneath the waves sometime after it broke away from Australia about 80 million years ago.

Spiritual, member of an extreme group within the Franciscans, a mendicant religious order founded by St. Francis of Assisi in 1209; the Spirituals firmly espoused the austerity and poverty prescribed in the original Rule of St. Francis. Called the Fraticelli, they were opposed, to some extent, by

Zealot, member of a Jewish sect noted for its uncompromising opposition to pagan Rome and the polytheism it professed. The Zealots were an aggressive political party whose concern for the national and religious life of the Jewish people led them to despise even Jews who sought peace and

Zeami was the greatest playwright and theorist of the Japanese Noh theatre. He and his father, Kan’ami (1333–84), were the creators of the Noh drama in its present form. Under the patronage of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, whose favour Zeami enjoyed after performing before him in 1374, the Noh

zero-energy building (ZEB), any building or construction characterized by zero net energy consumption and zero carbon emissions calculated over a period of time. Zero-energy buildings (ZEBs) usually use less energy than traditional buildings as well as generate their own energy on-site to use in

12 Extraordinary Women in the Mughal Empire: Zeb-un-Nissa (daughter of Aurangzeb): …his wife Dilras Banu Begum, Zeb-un-Nissa was an accomplished poet who wrote under the pseudonym Makhfi (“The Concealed One”) and for whom the austere Aurangzeb allowed poets at court.

Shabbetai Tzevi was a false messiah who developed a mass following and threatened rabbinical authority in Europe and the Middle East. As a young man, Shabbetai steeped himself in the influential body of Jewish mystical writings known as the Kabbala. His extended periods of ecstasy and his strong

Zabīd, town, western Yemen. It lies on the bank of the Wadi Zabīd and at the eastern fringe of the Tihāmah coastal plain, about 10 miles (16 km) from the Red Sea coast. An ancient Yemeni centre, Zabīd was refounded in 820 ce by the Abbasids under Muḥammad ibn Ziyād, emissary of the caliph

Western painting: International Gothic: …one Italian artist—identified tentatively as Zebo da Firenze—was painting in Paris at this period (c. 1405). Manuscripts associated with him are usually sumptuously, if erratically, decorated. Indeed, in the matter of erratic decoration they seem to have had a baleful influence. The border decoration of Parisian manuscripts dating to about…

zebra, any of three species of strikingly black-and-white striped mammals of the horse family Equidae (genus Equus): the plains zebra (E. quagga), which is found in rich grasslands over much of eastern and southern Africa; Grevy’s zebra (E. grevyi), which lives in arid, sparsely wooded areas in

danio: Among these are the zebra danio, or zebra fish (B. rerio), a popular species with lengthwise blue and yellow stripes, and the giant danio (D. malabaricus), a striped blue and yellow fish about 11 cm (4 inches) long.

animal social behavior: The proximate mechanisms of social behavior: The song of the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) illustrates the hormonal influences on song development and singing behavior. After the birds hatch, male and female brains develop differently. Injecting females with estrogen early in development causes them to develop malelike brains, but they will not sing male song unless…

danio: Among these are the zebra danio, or zebra fish (B. rerio), a popular species with lengthwise blue and yellow stripes, and the giant danio (D. malabaricus), a striped blue and yellow fish about 11 cm (4 inches) long.

zebra fish, any member of either of two unrelated groups of fishes, the freshwater species in the genus Danio (family Cyprinidae; order Cypriniformes) and the saltwater species in the genus Pterois (family Scorpaenidae; order Scorpaeniformes). The zebra danio (Danio rerio), a popular freshwater

zebra mussel, a species of tiny mussels (genus Dreissena) that are prominent freshwater pests. They proliferate quickly and adhere in great numbers to virtually any surface. The voracious mussels disrupt food webs by wiping out phytoplankton, and their massive clustering on water-intake valves and

zebra shark, (Stegostoma fasciatum), species of carpet shark classified in the family Stegostomatidae (of which it is the sole member) and the order Orectolobiformes. It inhabits coral reef ecosystems in the Indian and western Pacific oceans, specifically those that occur adjacent to islands on or