ZESTY
What does "ZESTY" mean?
Having a strong, pleasantly sharp flavor, or a lively, spirited quality.
Meanings
- Having a tangy, piquant, or sharp flavor. The dressing was bright and zesty with lemon and chili.
- Full of energy, enthusiasm, or lively appeal. She gave a zesty performance that woke the whole crowd. figurative
Did you know?
- Before 'zest' meant enthusiasm, it meant orange peel - the French 'zeste' was the bit of citrus rind grated into food, and its sharp tang gave us the figurative 'zest for life'.
Word origin
From 'zest' plus '-y'; 'zest' came into English from French 'zeste', the citrus peel used as flavoring, whose sharp taste lent the word its sense of keen enjoyment and energy.
Remember it
ZESTY = ZEST + Y: grate the citrus peel (zest) and ask 'why so lively?' (the Y) - the answer is the tang.
A little poem
Lemon rind grated-
a bright thread of bitterness
wakes the whole dull plate.
haiku
Wordplay
- My grandfather added lemon peel to every dish. He really knew how to zest his life.
What it teaches
A little sharpness wakes the whole; the bitter rind is what makes the sweet legible.
Quick facts
What does ZESTY mean?
Having a strong, pleasantly sharp flavor, or a lively, spirited quality.
Is ZESTY a valid word?
Yes — ZESTY is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is ZESTY?
ZESTY has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does ZESTY come from?
From 'zest' plus '-y'; 'zest' came into English from French 'zeste', the citrus peel used as flavoring, whose sharp taste lent the word its sense of keen enjoyment and energy.
What can ZESTY teach us?
A little sharpness wakes the whole; the bitter rind is what makes the sweet legible.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.