zombie

[ zom-bee ]

noun

1. (in Vodou)
   1. a mute and will-less body, robbed of its soul and given the semblance of life by a supernatural force, usually for manual labor or some evil purpose.
   2. the supernatural force itself.
2. (in popular culture) an undead creature with a reanimated human body, typically depicted in science fiction or horror stories as contagious to the living by bite and vulnerable only to serious head trauma:

   In the movie, survivors of the apocalypse try to build a barricade to keep the zombies out.

3. Informal.
   1. a person whose behavior or responses are wooden, listless, or seemingly rote; automaton.
   2. an eccentric or peculiar person.
4. a snake god worshiped in West Indian and Brazilian religious practices of African origin.
5. a tall drink made typically with several kinds of rum, citrus juice, and often apricot liqueur.
6. Canadian Slang. an army conscript assigned to home defense during World War II.

adjective

1. of or relating to something that was declared concluded, finished, or dead, but surprisingly continues to linger, or comes back in a different version: resuscitating zombie corporations through debt restructuring;

   zombie legislation that was defeated last session;

   resuscitating zombie corporations through debt restructuring;

   a zombie ex who texts you out of the blue looking for a hookup.

zombie

/ ˈzɒmbɪ /

noun

1. a person who is or appears to be lifeless, apathetic, or totally lacking in independent judgment; automaton
2. a supernatural spirit that reanimates a dead body
3. a corpse brought to life in this manner
4. the snake god of voodoo cults in the West Indies, esp Haiti, and in scattered areas of the southern US
5. the python god revered in parts of West Africa
6. a piece of computer code that instructs an infected computer to send a virus on to other computer systems

Derived Forms

• ˈzombiism, noun

Other Words From

• zom·bi·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of zombie¹

First recorded in 1810–20; from Louisiana French, Haitian Creole zonbi, from a Bantu language, e.g., Kongo nzambi “god,” zumbi “fetish,” or Kimbundu nzambi “god”

Word History and Origins

Origin of zombie¹

from Kongo zumbi good-luck fetish

Example Sentences

"It was a zombie knife, a serrated zombie knife," Mr Olumide said of the attack on his son outside Clapham South underground station in South London.

From BBC

A jury heard Huang, who was aged 16 at the time of the attack, used weapons he had collected to prepare for a zombie apocalypse.

From BBC

But online, some said the statue looked more like a zombie from the movie I Am Legend.

From BBC

The centre itself was found to be overcrowded, dirty, and noise from aircraft at Gatwick, while there was also widespread use of the so-called zombie drug Spice.

From BBC

When experiencing controlled fear – like jump scares in a zombie TV show – you get to enjoy this energized sensation, similar to a runner’s high, without any risks.

From Salon

Related Words

• demon
• devil
• phantom
• shadow
• soul
• specter
• vampire
• vision