Z (zē; in England commonly, and in America
sometimes, zĕd; formerly, also,
ĭz"zĕrd) Z, the twenty-sixth and last letter of the
English alphabet, is a vocal consonant. It is taken from the Latin
letter Z, which came from the Greek alphabet, this having it from a
Semitic source. The ultimate origin is probably Egyptian.
Etymologically, it is most closely related to s, y, and
j; as in glass, glaze; E. yoke, Gr. ?,
L. yugum; E. zealous, jealous. See Guide to
Pronunciation, §§ 273, 274.