Zip-Code
/ˈzɪp koʊd/noun
A postal code used to identify a specific geographic delivery area.
Did you know?ZIP was originally a U.S. Postal Service acronym for "Zone Improvement Plan," meant to make mail move faster, not to hide a mystical code—though it certainly sounds like one.
Etymological Timeline
1963
English
ZIP code
“A U.S. postal addressing system abbreviation for Zone Improvement Plan, designed to speed mail delivery.”
1960s
English
zip
“An abbreviation of Zone Improvement Plan, used in the postal system name.”
Old French
OF
code
“A system of laws or regulations; later, a system of signs or symbols.”
Latin
Latin
codex
“A block of wood; later, a book or set of laws written on pages.”
Latin
Latin
caudex
“A tree trunk, stem, or block of wood.”