zima

Inherited from Proto-Bantu *-díma (“to be extinguished - zone N”), from Proto-Atlantic-Congo *dim- (“to extinguish”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈzi.ma/

-zima (infinitive kuzíma)

1. (intransitive) to go out (of lights, or fire)
2. to be extinguished
3. to be quenched

As seen above (and in the reconstructed Proto-Bantu stem), there is an argument to be made that this verb, although lexically active, is passive in meaning. This is strengthened by the fact that the causative of this verb (-zimitsa) directly means to extinguish (i.e. to cause to be extinguished/put out}}, and not "to cause someone else to extinguish", as it would be expected if this verb meant "to extinguish".

• Verbal derivations:
  • Applicative: -zimira
  • Causative: -zimitsa
  • Negative: -sazima
  • Passive: -zimidwa
  • Reduplicative: -zimazima
  • Repetitive: -zimanso

• Nominal derivations:
  • mzimizi (“deceased; corpse”)

• Steven Paas (2016), Oxford Chichewa-English/English - Chichewa Dictionary‎^[2], Oxford University Press, page 606

• zejma (dialectal)

Inherited from Old Czech zima, from Proto-Slavic *zima, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *źeimā́ˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰéyōm.

• IPA^(key): [ˈzɪma]

• Audio:

  (file)

zima f (diminutive (expressive) zimička)

1. winter

   Antonym: léto

2. cold

   Synonyms: chlad, chladno, kosa, kláda, klendra

   Antonym: teplo

zima

1. cold (of weather)

   Synonym: chladno

Seasons in Czech · roční období (layout · text) · category
jaro (“spring”)	léto (“summer”)	podzim (“autumn”)	zima (“winter”)

• “zima”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “zima”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “zima”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

Inherited from Proto-Bantu *-díma (“to extinguish - zone H”), from Proto-Atlantic-Congo *dim- (“to extinguish”).

zima

1. to extinguish

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *zima.

• IPA^(key): (13^th CE) /ˈzima/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /ˈzima/

zima f (relational adjective zimní or zimný)

1. winter (season)

   zimě ― in winter

2. cold

• Czech: zima

Seasons in Old Czech · roční časové (layout · text) · category
vesna, jěř, podletie (“spring”)	léto (“summer”)	podjesen, podzimie, podzim (“autumn”)	zima (“winter”)

• Jan Gebauer (1903–1916), “zima”, in Slovník staročeský (in Czech), Prague: Česká grafická společnost "unie", Česká akademie císaře Františka Josefa pro vědy, slovesnost a umění

Inherited from Old Polish zima, from Proto-Slavic *zima (“winter”).

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ima
• Syllabification: zi‧ma
• Homophone: Zima

zima f (related adjective zimowy)

1. winter

Seasons in Polish · pory roku (layout · text) · category
wiosna (“spring”)	lato (“summer”)	jesień (“autumn”)	zima (“winter”)

zima (not comparable)

1. (Żywiec) synonym of zimno

• zima in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• zima in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Leon Rzeszowski (1891), “zima”, in “Spis wyrazów ludowych z okolic Żywca”, in Sprawozdania Komisyi Językowej Akademii Umiejętności, volume 4, Krakow: Drukarnia Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, page 361

From Proto-Nuristani *dzima, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *ȷ́ʰimás, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰéyōm.

• IPA^(key): /ˈzima/ (tone class B)

zima (Pronz)^[1]

1. snow

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *zima, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *źeimā́ˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰéyōm.

• IPA^(key): /zǐːma/
• Hyphenation: zi‧ma

zíma f (Cyrillic spelling зи́ма)

1. winter
2. cold, coldness (of weather or temperature)

• zimnica

Seasons in Serbo-Croatian · godišnja doba / годишња доба (layout · text) · category
spring: proleće, proljeće пролеће, прољеће	summer: leto, ljeto лето, љето	autumn: jesen јесен	winter: zima зима

• “zima”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *zima.

• IPA^(key): [ˈzima]

• Audio (Bratislava):

  (file)

zima f

1. winter
2. very cold weather (regardless of the season)

• seasons: ročné obdobia: jar · leto · jeseň · zima ^[edit]

• “zima”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025

From Proto-Slavic *zima, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *źeimā́ˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰéyōm.

• IPA^(key): /zìːma/

zíma f

1. winter

The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.

Feminine, a-stem
nom. sing.	zíma
gen. sing.	zíme
	singular	dual	plural
nominative (imenovȃlnik)	zíma	zími	zíme
genitive (rodȋlnik)	zíme	zím	zím
dative (dajȃlnik)	zími	zímama	zímam
accusative (tožȋlnik)	zímo	zími	zíme
locative (mẹ̑stnik)	zími	zímah	zímah
instrumental (orọ̑dnik)	zímo	zímama	zímami

Seasons in Slovene · létni čàs (layout · text) · category
pomlád (“spring”)	polétje (“summer”)	jesén (“autumn”)	zíma (“winter”)

• “zima”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran
• “zima”, in Termania, Amebis
• See also the general references

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

From Proto-Bantu *gìmà.

-zima (declinable)

1. whole; entire; full
2. mature; fully grown
3. (in greetings) well

   U mzima ― Are you well?

Inherited from Proto-Bantu *-díma (“to extinguish”), from Proto-Atlantic-Congo *dim- (“to extinguish”).

-zima (infinitive kuzima)

1. to turn off, extinguish, quell

Conjugation of -zima
Positive present -nazima Subjunctive -zime Negative -zimi Imperative singular zima
Infinitives
Positive kuzima Negative kutozima
Imperatives
Singular zima Plural zimeni
Tensed forms
Habitual huzima Positive past positive subject concord + -lizima Negative past negative subject concord + -kuzima
Positive present (positive subject concord + -nazima) Singular Plural 1st person ninazima/nazima tunazima 2nd person unazima mnazima 3rd person m-wa(I/II) anazima wanazima other classes positive subject concord + -nazima
Negative present (negative subject concord + -zimi) Singular Plural 1st person sizimi hatuzimi 2nd person huzimi hamzimi 3rd person m-wa(I/II) hazimi hawazimi other classes negative subject concord + -zimi
Positive future positive subject concord + -tazima Negative future negative subject concord + -tazima
Positive subjunctive (positive subject concord + -zime) Singular Plural 1st person nizime tuzime 2nd person uzime mzime 3rd person m-wa(I/II) azime wazime other classes positive subject concord + -zime
Negative subjunctive positive subject concord + -sizime Positive present conditional positive subject concord + -ngezima Negative present conditional positive subject concord + -singezima Positive past conditional positive subject concord + -ngalizima Negative past conditional positive subject concord + -singalizima
Gnomic (positive subject concord + -azima) Singular Plural 1st person nazima twazima 2nd person wazima mwazima 3rd person m-wa(I/II) azima wazima m-mi(III/IV) wazima yazima ji-ma(V/VI) lazima yazima ki-vi(VII/VIII) chazima vyazima n(IX/X) yazima zazima u(XI) wazima see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) kwazima pa(XVI) pazima mu(XVIII) mwazima
Perfect positive subject concord + -mezima "Already" positive subject concord + -meshazima "Not yet" negative subject concord + -jazima "If/When" positive subject concord + -kizima "If not" positive subject concord + -sipozima Consecutive kazima / positive subject concord + -kazima Consecutive subjunctive positive subject concord + -kazime
Object concord (indicative positive) Singular Plural 1st person -nizima -tuzima 2nd person -kuzima -wazima/-kuzimeni/-wazimeni 3rd person m-wa(I/II) -mzima -wazima m-mi(III/IV) -uzima -izima ji-ma(V/VI) -lizima -yazima ki-vi(VII/VIII) -kizima -vizima n(IX/X) -izima -zizima u(XI) -uzima see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -kuzima pa(XVI) -pazima mu(XVIII) -muzima Reflexive -jizima
Relative forms General positive (positive subject concord + (object concord) + -zima- + relative marker) Singular Plural m-wa(I/II) -zimaye -zimao m-mi(III/IV) -zimao -zimayo ji-ma(V/VI) -zimalo -zimayo ki-vi(VII/VIII) -zimacho -zimavyo n(IX/X) -zimayo -zimazo u(XI) -zimao see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -zimako pa(XVI) -zimapo mu(XVIII) -zimamo Other forms (subject concord + tense marker + relative marker + (object concord) + -zima) Singular Plural m-wa(I/II) -yezima -ozima m-mi(III/IV) -ozima -yozima ji-ma(V/VI) -lozima -yozima ki-vi(VII/VIII) -chozima -vyozima n(IX/X) -yozima -zozima u(XI) -ozima see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -kozima pa(XVI) -pozima mu(XVIII) -mozima
Some forms not commonly seen in modern Standard Swahili are absent from the table. See Appendix:Swahili verbs for more information.

• Verbal derivations:
  • Applicative: -zimia (“to faint”)
  • Causative: -zimisha
  • Passive: -zimwa
  • Stative: -zimika (“to go out”)