zest
Americannoun
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keen relish; hearty enjoyment; gusto.
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an agreeable or piquant flavor imparted to something.
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anything added to impart flavor, enhance one's appreciation, etc.
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piquancy; interest; charm.
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liveliness or energy; animating spirit.
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the peel, especially the thin outer peel, of a citrus fruit used for flavoring.
lemon zest.
verb (used with object)
noun
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invigorating or keen excitement or enjoyment
a zest for living
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added interest, flavour, or charm; piquancy
her presence gave zest to the occasion
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something added to give flavour or relish
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the peel or skin of an orange or lemon, used as flavouring in drinks, etc
verb
Other Word Forms
- zestful adjective
- zestfully adverb
- zestfulness noun
- zestless adjective
- zesty adjective
Etymology
Origin of zest
1665–75; < French zest (now zeste ) orange or lemon peel used for flavoring < ?
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A grate of orange zest — carrot and citrus are conspirators this time of year.
From Salon
A little lemon zest can perk up even the simplest of dishes, like scrambled eggs.
From Salon
Off heat, fold in lemon zest — the volatile oils hit the warm crumbs and bloom instantly, perfuming them.
From Salon
She says it not only gave "her zest for life" back – it saved her marriage.
From BBC
A microplane is core to the way I cook because I use a lot of lemon zest and grated garlic.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
