zest

UK/zɛst/US/zɛst/

nounB2+Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #9,642 of 15,258neutral

Zest is the fragrant grated outer peel of a lemon or orange. Lemon zest, grate the zest, a strip of zest.

Only the coloured layer is wanted, because the white pith beneath is bitter, and the oil in it carries most of the smell of the fruit. Zest also means keen enjoyment, as in a zest for life, which came from the cookery sense.

Definitions of zest

1nounzestThe fragrant grated outer peel of a citrus fruit.B2+
“Grate the zest of a lemon into the cake mixture.”
- Said"Grate the zest first, before you squeeze the fruit; it's impossible after."
- WrittenOrange zest lifted the pudding out of the ordinary, and nobody could say why.
- UsedTake only the coloured zest and leave the bitter pith behind.
- ContrastZest, not peel. Peel is the entire skin, white part and all; zest is the thin outside, grated fine. peel →
- Not thisLemon juice is not zest. Zest is the fragrant outer layer, not the liquid.
- SimplyAdd zest to the cake. It smells good.
Patternlemon / orange / lime zest · grate the zest · the zest of one lemon · a zester · zesty

zest is a peel, or an enjoyment.

Also accepted in games: rind

Remember it

zEST → the bEST bit of the lemon, its skin

Grate the yellow skin of a lemon and the whole kitchen smells bright: the best bit of the lemon was on the outside all along.

hooks ontobest

Where it comes from

French zeste meant the peel of a walnut or citrus fruit. The figurative sense of relish followed in English.

French
zeste
English, today
zest

Borrowed from French zeste.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in In the Kitchen, Smell & Taste

Practise this word

zest in the wild

In terms of fruit anatomy, the zest is obtained from the flavedo (exocarp) which is also called zest.
Zest (ingredient)
The rims cut the zest from the pith underneath.
Zester
The zest is cut into ribbons, one drawn through each hole.
Zester
The lemon zest is mashed with the pepper so that the citrus oil infuses into the pepper.
Lemon pepper
In positive psychology, zest (or enthusiasm) is among the discrete strengths people possess.
Zest (positive psychology)

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the zeste family

zest zesty

zest — used about once every 4,818 pages · #9,642 · point at the bar for the others

Definitions of zest

1nounzestThe fragrant grated outer peel of a citrus fruit.B2+

“Grate the zest of a lemon into the cake mixture.”

Said"Grate the zest first, before you squeeze the fruit; it's impossible after."
WrittenOrange zest lifted the pudding out of the ordinary, and nobody could say why.
UsedTake only the coloured zest and leave the bitter pith behind.
ContrastZest, not peel. Peel is the entire skin, white part and all; zest is the thin outside, grated fine. peel →
Not thisLemon juice is not zest. Zest is the fragrant outer layer, not the liquid.
SimplyAdd zest to the cake. It smells good.

Patternlemon / orange / lime zest · grate the zest · the zest of one lemon · a zester · zesty

zest is a peel, or an enjoyment.

Also accepted in games: rind