zephyr

• zephir
• zefir

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).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /zɛfə(ɹ)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /zɛfɚ/

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• Rhymes: -ɛfə(ɹ)

The most common appearance of zephyrs (sense 4)

zephyr (plural zephyrs)

1. A light wind from the west.

   Synonym: westerly

   • 1671, R. Bohun, A Discourse Concerning the Origine and Properties of Wind‎, Oxford: Tho. Bowman, pages 149–150:

     The Western [winds] have been Counted the mildest, & most Auspicious of all others; and were so highly in favour with the Poets, that they thought them worthy of the Golden Age, and to refresh the Elysian groves. [...] But though the Breathing Zephyrs are so much celebrated in Poems and Romances, and happily were kinder to the delicious countries of Italy, & Greece, yet wee find no lesse malignity in their natures from particular accidents and climats, then what wee have observ’d of other Winds.

2. Any light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze.
   • 1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii], page 388, column 2:

     O thou Goddeſſe, / Thou diuine Nature; thou^{[sic – meaning how]} thy ſelfe thou blazon'ſt / In theſe two Princely Boyes: they are as gentle / As Zephires blowing below the Violet, / Not wagging his ſweet head; [...]

   • 1796, J[ohn] G[abriel] Stedman, chapter II, in Narrative of a Five Years’ Expedition against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam, in Guiana, on the Wild Coast of South America; […], volume I, London: J[oseph] Johnson, […], and J. Edwards, […], →OCLC, page 31:

     The eaſterly or trade winds, which generally blow between the Tropics, are extremely refreſhing to the coaſt of Guiana, between the hours of eight or ten in the morning, and ſix o'clock in the evening, when they ceaſe to operate, and a zephyr is ſcarcely ever heard to whiſper during the night.

   • 1835, William Gilmore Simms, The Partisan, Harper, Chapter XI, page 135:

     The dusk of evening came on, soft in its solemnity, and unoppressive even in its gloom, under the sweet sky and unmolested zephyr, casting its pleasant shadows along the edges of the grove.

   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “The Carpet-bag”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 10:

     It [a house] stood on a sharp bleak corner, where that tempestuous wind Euroclydon kept up a worse howling than ever it did about poor Paul's tossed craft. Euroclydon, nevertheless, is a mighty pleasant zephyr to any one in-doors, with his feet on the hob quietly toasting for bed.

3. Anything of fine, soft, or light quality, especially fabric.
   • 1895, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, “At the Vicarage. Chapter X.”, in The Wonderful Visit (Macmillan’s Colonial Library), London, New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 39:

     The world hummed and spun about him. There was a whirling of zephyr skirts, four impassioned faces sweeping towards the open door of the passage that ran through the vicarage. He felt his position went with them.

4. 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.

   Alternative form: zefir

   • 1954, The Current Digest of the Soviet Press, volume 6, American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies, page 11, column 1:

     In 1953 the Russian Republic Ministry of the Food Products Industry increased confectionery output 10% above 1952, including wrapped and packaged confectionery 46%, chocolates 57%, toffee 65%, fruit preserves, pastilles and Zephyrs 20% and halva—by 36%.

   • 1992, Joyce Toomre, “[Introduction] French Influence on Russian Cuisine”, in Classic Russian Cooking: Elena Molokhovets’ A Gift to Young Housewives (Indiana-Michigan Series in Russian and East European Studies), Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, →ISBN, page 21:

     The French not only vastly expanded the Russian repertory of sauces, but they also introduced an entirely new range of light, airy desserts including creams, zephyrs, and mousses.

   • 2003, Valentina Antonievna Seletzky, “The Evgoschino Interlude”, in Mosaic: A Child’s Recollections of the Russian Revolution, Lincoln, Neb.: iUniverse, Inc., →ISBN:

     For desserts there were “airy pie,” charlottes, mousses, kissel, plombir and “zephyrs.”

   • 2017, Bonnie Frumkin Morales with Deena Prichep, “Zephyr”, in Kachka: A Return to Russian Cooking, New York, N.Y.: Flatiron Books, →ISBN:

     2 tablespoons beet juice (optional—include it if you’re nostalgic for pink zephyr)

   • 2017, Karl F. Tiefenbacher, The Technology of Wafers and Waffles I: Operational Aspects, London: Academic Press, →ISBN, page 346:

     The Russian zephyr and bird’s milk fillings rely on agar as a gelling agent

   • 2019, Marvel Cook, “Black Currant Russian Zephyrs”, in Cooking Healthy and Loving It! 101 Happy and Healthy Recipes Including Gluten-Free, Diabetic and Vegan to Help You Feel Your Very Best!, Summit, N.J.: Cape Crystal Brands, →ISBN, page 31:

     When the zephyrs are firm to the touch, press the two zephyr halves together and roll in powdered sugar.

   • 2019, Alissa Timoshkina, “Zephyrs”, in Salt & Time: Recipes from a Russian Kitchen, London: Mitchell Beazley, →ISBN:

     Stick 2 zephyrs together at the base and dust thoroughly with icing sugar using a sieve.

zephyr (third-person singular simple present zephyrs, present participle zephyring, simple past and past participle zephyred)

1. (intransitive, poetic) To blow or move like a zephyr, or light breeze.
   • 1879, Robert Stephen Hawker, “An Inscription for an Aged Oak”, in The Poetical Works‎, London: The Bodley Head, page 171:

     There was a time
     When the soft zephyring spring came joyfully,
     Like a young bride, with bloom upon her cheek—

   • 1908, Clarence E. Mulford, chapter 4, in The Coming of Hopalong Cassidy‎, New York: Grosset & Dunlap, page 60:

     There was a sudden scrambling and thumping overhead and hot exclamations zephyred down to them.

   • 1922, Thomas Hardy, “An Experience”, in Late Lyrics and Earlier with Many Other Verses, London: Macmillan and Co., […], →OCLC, stanza 2, page 111:

     But there was a new afflation— / An aura zephyring round, / That care infected not: [...]

2. (transitive, poetic) To blow or blow on gently like a zephyr; to cool or refresh with a gentle breeze.
   • 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.

• Zefir (food) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia