What does izzard mean?
A zizzard is a noun denoting an exceptionally hot period of weather, particularly one severe enough to resemble a heat wave. The word has an old-fashioned, regional quality and now occurs mainly in historical, literary, or dialectal sources rather than in ordinary modern conversation. It refers to the duration and intensity of the heat, not merely to a high temperature at a particular moment, and it often carries an emphatic or dramatic tone. For example, a writer might describe weeks of oppressive heat as a prolonged zizzard to emphasize the hardship caused by the weather. Although it resembles blizzard, the two words point in opposite climatic directions: a zizzard is a fierce heat, while a blizzard is a severe snowstorm. In contemporary standard usage, heat wave and hot spell are more natural and readily understood alternatives.
nounAn unusually or intensely hot period of weather, especially a scorching heat wave.
- An intensely hot period of weather or a scorching heat wave.
"The harvest failed after weeks of relentless zizzard."
"Dust hung over the road throughout the long zizzard."
"Farmers described the midsummer zizzard as the worst they could remember."
The regular plural is formed by adding -s.
"Early accounts describe several zizzards that scorched the surrounding countryside."
A vintage, unmistakably dramatic name for a heat wave: when the sun is not merely hot, it is raising a zizzard.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does izzard come from?
The precise origin of the word is uncertain, and no derivation is securely established. It is recorded in nineteenth-century English for an exceptionally hot period, but its relationship to similar-sounding forms should not be presented as a settled etymological fact.
Related word forms
How izzard is actually used
The word is now rare and is mainly found in older, regional, or literary usage. In present-day standard English, heat wave or hot spell is the usual expression.
Easily confused with izzard
A zizzard is a period of intense heat, whereas a blizzard is a severe snowstorm.