EtymologyMap
Back to all words

Trace the journey of words

Today it means

zill

small finger cymbals played in pairs, especially by belly dancers

Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate

Where does the word "zill" come from? It comes from Ottoman Turkish zil, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "zill" come from? It comes from Ottoman Turkish zil, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).

Zill’s story begins in Ottoman Turkish: zil meant “cymbal.” Cymbals; in 1623 Avedis, an Armenian alchemist in Constantinople, began casting them and was given the name 'Zilciyan', cymbal-maker. It reached English by 1900s as zill. The family firm, as Zildjian, moved to Massachusetts in 1929; 'zills' became the English name for dancers' finger cymbals. Today, zill means small finger cymbals played in pairs, especially by belly dancers.

  1. Stage 1 · Ottoman Turkish · 1500s zil "cymbal", cymbals; in 1623 Avedis, an Armenian alchemist in Constantinople, began casting them and was given the name 'Zilciyan', cymbal-maker.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1900s zill "finger cymbals", the family firm, as Zildjian, moved to Massachusetts in 1929; 'zills' became the English name for dancers' finger cymbals.

Browse by origin