*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of zone

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *yeh₃s- Proto-Indo-European *-néh₂ Proto-Indo-European *yoh₃snéh₂der. Ancient Greek ζώνη (zṓnē)bor. Latin zōnader. English zone From Latin zōna, from Ancient Greek ζώνη (zṓnē, “girdle,

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
noun

Each of the five regions of the earth's surface into which it was divided by climatic differences, namely the torrid zone (between the tropics), two temperate zones (between the tropics and the polar circles), and two frigid zones (within the polar circles). · Any given region or area of the world. · A given area distinguished on the basis of a particular characteristic, use, restriction, etc. · A restricted category or virtual place.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *yeh₃s- Proto-Indo-European *-néh₂ Proto-Indo-European *yoh₃snéh₂der. Ancient Greek ζώνη (zṓnē)bor. Latin zōnader. English zone From Latin zōna, from Ancient Greek ζώνη (zṓnē, “girdle, belt”). Doublet of zona.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 14 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "la:zōna",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *yeh₃s-\nProto-Indo-European *-néh₂\nProto-Indo-European *yoh₃snéh₂der.\nAncient Greek ζώνη (zṓnē)bor.\nLatin zōnader.\nEnglish zone\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*yeh₃s-\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-néh₂\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*yoh₃snéh₂\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"ζώνη\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"zōna\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"zone\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"zone\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "zōna"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin zōna"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "ζώνη",
        "4": "",
        "5": "girdle, belt"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek ζώνη (zṓnē, “girdle, belt”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zona"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of zona"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "la:zōna",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *yeh₃s-\nProto-Indo-European *-néh₂\nProto-Indo-European *yoh₃snéh₂der.\nAncient Greek ζώνη (zṓnē)bor.\nLatin zōnader.\nEnglish zone"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*yeh₃s-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/yeh₃s-"
    ],
    [
      "*-néh₂",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-néh₂"
    ],
    [
      "*yoh₃snéh₂",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/yoh₃snéh₂"
    ],
    [
      "ζώνη",
      "ζώνη#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "zōna",
      "zona#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "zōna",
      "zona#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ζώνη",
      "ζώνη#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "girdle",
      "girdle"
    ],
    [
      "belt",
      "belt"
    ],
    [
      "zona",
      "zona#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Korean",
      "lang_code": "ko",
      "word": "존",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "jon"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Punjabi",
      "lang_code": "pa",
      "word": "ਜ਼ੋਨ",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "zon"
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Each of the five regions of the earth's surface into which it was divided by climatic differences, namely the torrid zone (between the tropics), two temperate zones (between the tropics and the polar circles), and two frigid zones (within the polar circles).",
        "Any given region or area of the world.",
        "A given area distinguished on the basis of a particular characteristic, use, restriction, etc.",
        "A restricted category or virtual place."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "broadly"
      ],
      "recordId": "5d9d110015dc793254a66a5bff2c1fb30839f6358d4a81993186eb6341ef219d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "002ba4d5618441268acf3bd9b049e56c2d04dc4cf3531a37cfc57310642b2851",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 267319
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 14,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To divide into or assign to sections or areas. · To define the property use classification of (an area). · To enter a daydream state temporarily, for instance as a result of boredom, fatigue, or intoxication; to doze off. · To girdle or encircle.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *yeh₃s- Proto-Indo-European *-néh₂ Proto-Indo-European *yoh₃snéh₂der. Ancient Greek ζώνη (zṓnē)bor. Latin zōnader. English zone From Latin zōna, from Ancient Greek ζώνη (zṓnē, “girdle, belt”). Doublet of zona.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "la:zōna",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *yeh₃s-\nProto-Indo-European *-néh₂\nProto-Indo-European *yoh₃snéh₂der.\nAncient Greek ζώνη (zṓnē)bor.\nLatin zōnader.\nEnglish zone\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*yeh₃s-\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-néh₂\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*yoh₃snéh₂\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"ζώνη\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"zōna\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"zone\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"zone\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "zōna"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin zōna"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "ζώνη",
        "4": "",
        "5": "girdle, belt"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek ζώνη (zṓnē, “girdle, belt”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zona"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of zona"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "la:zōna",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *yeh₃s-\nProto-Indo-European *-néh₂\nProto-Indo-European *yoh₃snéh₂der.\nAncient Greek ζώνη (zṓnē)bor.\nLatin zōnader.\nEnglish zone"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*yeh₃s-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/yeh₃s-"
    ],
    [
      "*-néh₂",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-néh₂"
    ],
    [
      "*yoh₃snéh₂",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/yoh₃snéh₂"
    ],
    [
      "ζώνη",
      "ζώνη#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "zōna",
      "zona#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "zōna",
      "zona#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ζώνη",
      "ζώνη#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "girdle",
      "girdle"
    ],
    [
      "belt",
      "belt"
    ],
    [
      "zona",
      "zona#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To divide into or assign to sections or areas.",
        "To define the property use classification of (an area).",
        "To enter a daydream state temporarily, for instance as a result of boredom, fatigue, or intoxication; to doze off.",
        "To girdle or encircle."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive",
        "intransitive",
        "slang",
        "archaic",
        "poetic"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "a55bfe2f44130f5056416b4042728d73c633c34926bf26c0caedb7b99b969100",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 267320
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 1,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for zone →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-em9uZQ