zone — ODE · Shobdo

zone /zəʊn

▸ noun

1 an area or stretch of land having a particular characteristic, purpose, or use, or subject to particular restrictions:

a pedestrian zone

a 40-km demilitarized zone

United are still in the relegation zone figurative.

▪ Geography a well-defined region extending round the earth between definite limits, especially between two parallels of latitude:

a zone of easterly winds.

▪ (also time zone) a range of longitudes where a common standard time is used.

▪ (the zone) informal (especially in sport) a state of such concentration that one is able to perform at the peak of one's physical or mental capabilities:

I was in the zone, completing the first nine holes in one under par.

2 Botany Zoology an encircling band or stripe of distinctive colour, texture, or character.

3 archaic a belt or girdle worn round a person's body.

▸ verb [with object]

1 divide into or assign to zones:

the park has been zoned into four distinct bioregions, each with its own ecological identity.

▪ divide (a town or piece of land) into areas subject to particular restrictions on development and use:

Houston, he told us, was the only town in the country that was zoned properly.

▪ designate (a specific area) for use or development as a particular zone in planning:

the land is zoned for housing.

2 archaic encircle as or with a band or stripe.

– PHRASAL VERBS

zone out /ˌzəʊn ˈaʊt

/ North American English informal fall asleep or lose concentration or consciousness:

I just zoned out for a moment.

– ORIGIN late Middle English: from French, or from Latin zona ‘girdle’, from Greek zōnē.