Etymology zebra

The English name “zebra” dates back to c. 1600, deriving from Italian, Spanish or Portuguese.[1][2] Its origins may lie in the Latin equiferus meaning “wild horse”; from equus (“horse”) and ferus (“wild, untamed”). Equiferus appears to have entered into

Portuguese as ezebro or zebro, which was originally a name for a mysterious (possibly feral) equine in the wilds of the Iberian Penin

sula during the Middle Ages.[3] In ancient times, the zebra was called hippotigris (“horse tiger”) by the Greeks and Romans.[3][4]

The word “zebra” was traditionally pronounced with a long initial vowel, but over the course of the 20th century the pronunciation wit

h the short initial vowel became the norm in the UK and the Commonwealth.[5] The pronunciation with a long initial vowel remains standard in US English.[6] A group of zebras is referred to as a herd, dazzle, or zeal.[7]