zealot
zeal·ot/ˈzɛl.ət/noun
zealot is spelled Z-E-A-L-O-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables (zeal·ot). It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, zealot means “One who is zealous, one who is full of zeal for their own specific beliefs or objectives, usually in the negative sense of being too passionate; a…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of zealot is zealots.
How many letters and syllables are in zealot?
| Letters | 6: Z-E-A-L-O-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: zeal·ot |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 52,337th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is zealot?
Zealot appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce zealot?
- /ˈzɛl.ət/
Zealot has 2 syllables, split zeal·ot in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-zealot.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of zealot
- zealots plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does zealot mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One who is zealous, one who is full of zeal for their own specific beliefs or objectives, usually in the negative sense of being too passionate; a fanatic.
- 2
A member of a radical, warlike, ardently patriotic group of Jews in Judea, particularly prominent in the first century, who advocated the violent overthrow of Roman rule and vigorously resisted the efforts of the Romans and their supporters to convert the Jews.
- 3
A member of an anti-aristocratic political group in Thessalonica from 1342 until 1350.
noun
- 1
Alternative letter-case form of zealot.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Zealot in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fanatique , zélote |
| German | Eiferer, Fanatiker, Zelot |
| Portuguese | zeloso, fanático |
| Spanish | zelote, zelota |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does zealot come from?
Initially only found as Middle English zelote, an epithet of Simon the Zealot, acquiring its current senses in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Middle English derives from Latin zēlōtēs, from Ancient Greek ζηλωτής (zēlōtḗs, “emulator, zealous admirer, follower”), from ζηλόω (zēlóō, “to emulate, to be jealous”), from ζῆλος (zêlos, “zeal, jealousy”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).