Zombie
/ˈzɒm.bi/noun
A reanimated corpse in horror fiction, or a person who appears dazed, apathetic, or unresponsive.
Did you know?The English word entered through Haitian Creole and likely reflects African-origin terms for a spirit or corpse, later reshaped in the colonial imagination into the undead figure we know today.
Etymological Timeline
17th Century
English/Caribbean
zombie
“A word recorded in colonial Caribbean English for a spirit or reanimated corpse-like being.”
Haitian Creole
Creole
zombi
“A dead person or corpse believed to be revived and controlled by magical means.”
West African
Kongo
nzambi
“A god, spirit, or divine being; a sacred power term often proposed as a source.”
17th-18th Century
French
zombi
“A colonial borrowing used in accounts of Haiti and the Caribbean for an undead or spirit-controlled being.”
19th-20th Century
English
zombie
“A reanimated corpse in horror stories, later also a person behaving mechanically or without awareness.”