Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Word of the Day

zedonk
 \ ZEE-dongk, -dawngk, -duhngk \, noun;  
1.the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.

Quotes:
A zedonk , an unusual cross between a donkey and a zebra, is attracting attention at the Chestatee Wildlife Preserve in Dahlonega after being born there about a week ago.
-- "Zedonk: Zebra and Donkey Hybrid Born at Chestatee Wildlife Preserve," Huffington Post , 2010

"Lettered Creatures" is both abecedary and bestiary, from "Anteater" to " Zedonk " (my dictionary offers the felicitous alternative "zonkey").
-- Joshua Clover and Joel Brouwer, "Poetry Chronicle," The New York Times, 2005

Origin:
This portmanteau is a combination of ze(bra) + donk(ey). It came to English in the 1970s.

Dictionary.com