name · noun · verb · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
General-American:/ˈzɛfɚ/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈzɛfə/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
UK:/ˈzɛfə(ɹ)/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɛfə(ɹ)
CMU ARPABET:Z EH1 F ER0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
name
Meaning 1
The god of the West Wind.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
name
Meaning 2
The west wind personified.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: poetic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
name
Meaning 3
A surname.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A light wind from the west.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: westerly
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
Any light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
Anything of fine, soft, or light quality, especially fabric.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
A type of soft confectionery made by whipping fruit and berry purée (mostly apple purée) with sugar and egg whites with subsequent addition of a gelling agent like pectin, carrageenan, agar, or gelatine.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
verb
Meaning 8
To blow or move like a zephyr, or light breeze.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive, poetic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
verb
Meaning 9
To blow or blow on gently like a zephyr; to cool or refresh with a gentle breeze.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: poetic, transitive
Examples
1849, letter from Leonidas Lent Hamline dated 15 December, 1849, in Walter Clark Palmer, Life and Letters of Leonidas L. Hamline, D.D., New York: Carlton & Porter, 1866, Chapter 15, p. 361, He was a fragrant poison, a zephyred pestilence spread through all the city.
1914, Leonard Lanson Cline, untitled sonnet in Poems, Boston: The Poet Lore Company, p. 76, Ah, but the skies are joyous in the spring, From dawn to dusk exuberantly blue; White-tufted oftentimes with clouds that do But wanton in heaven’s zephyred merrying!
1914, Juliane Paulsen (pseudonym of Juliane Grace Hansen), “Poppy Fantasy” in And Then Came Spring, Boston: The Gorham Press, p. 49, Oh, graciously she led my soul within Where ever and forever went a wind In zephyred streams of poppies coursing sweet About the place, and waves of poppy heat About us there.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
10
noun
Meaning 10
(Greek mythology) the Greek god of the west wind
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
From Latin zephyrus (“west wind”), from Ancient Greek Ζέφυρος (Zéphuros). Doublet of zefir, zéphire, Zephyr, and Zephyrus. The confectionery sense is a semantic loan from Russian зефи́р (zefír).
Across languages
Translations
67 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
Зефир
(Zefir)
— Greek god
Czech:
Zefyros
— Greek god
Finnish:
Zefyros
— Greek god
Hungarian:
Zephürosz
— Greek god
Italian:
Zefiro
— Greek god
Latin:
Zephyrus
— Greek god
Polish:
Zefir
— Greek god
Portuguese:
Zéfiro
— Greek god
Russian:
Зефи́р
(Zefír)
— Greek god
Spanish:
Céfiro
— Greek god
Swedish:
Zefyros
— Greek god
Bulgarian:
Зефир
(Zefir)
— The west wind personified
Persian:
صبا
(sabâ)
— The west wind personified
Russian:
Зефи́р
(Zefír)
— The west wind personified
Armenian:
զեփյուռ
(zepʻyuṙ)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Old Armenian:
զեփիւռ
(zepʻiwṙ)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Belarusian:
зефі́р
(zjefír)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Bulgarian:
зефир
(zefir)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Chinese Mandarin:
和風 /和风
(héfēng)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Chinese Mandarin:
微風 /微风
(wéifēng)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Czech:
zefýr
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Dutch:
briesje
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Esperanto:
zefiro
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Estonian:
läänetuul
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Finnish:
tuulenhenkäys
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Finnish:
tuulonen
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
French:
zéphyr
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Georgian:
ნიავი
(niavi)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Georgian:
სიო
(sio)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Georgian:
ზეფირი
(zepiri)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
German:
Zephir
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Hebrew:
צַפְרִיר
(tsafrír)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Hindi:
समीर
(samīr)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Hungarian:
zefír
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Ido:
zefiro
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Italian:
zefiro
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Italian:
zeffiro
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Japanese:
微風
(soyokaze)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Latin:
zephyrus
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Māori:
kōtengitengi
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Māori:
hau maiangi
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Ottoman Turkish:
هوا
(hava)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Ottoman Turkish:
صبا
(saba)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Persian:
باد فرودین
(bâd-e forudin)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Persian:
باد دبور
(bâd-e dabur)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Polish:
zefir
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Portuguese:
zéfiro
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Romanian:
zefir
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Russian:
зефи́р
(zefír)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Russian:
лёгкий ветеро́к
(ljóxkij veterók)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Russian:
ветеро́к
(veterók)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Serbo-Croatian:
зефи́р
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Slovak:
zefyr
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Spanish:
céfiro
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Ukrainian:
зефі́р
(zefír)
— light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze — see also breeze
Belarusian:
зефі́р
(zjefír)
— thing of fine, soft, or light quality, especially fabric
Bulgarian:
зефир
(zefir)
— thing of fine, soft, or light quality, especially fabric
French:
zéphyr
— thing of fine, soft, or light quality, especially fabric
German:
Zephir
— thing of fine, soft, or light quality, especially fabric
Hungarian:
zefír
— thing of fine, soft, or light quality, especially fabric
Italian:
zefir
— thing of fine, soft, or light quality, especially fabric
Italian:
zefiro
— thing of fine, soft, or light quality, especially fabric
Japanese:
ゼファー
(zefā)
— thing of fine, soft, or light quality, especially fabric
Romanian:
zefir
— thing of fine, soft, or light quality, especially fabric
Russian:
зефи́р
(zefír)
— thing of fine, soft, or light quality, especially fabric
Turkish:
zefir
— thing of fine, soft, or light quality, especially fabric
Ukrainian:
зефі́р
(zefír)
— thing of fine, soft, or light quality, especially fabric
