# zebress
## English
### Etymology

From zebra +‎ -ess.

### Noun

zebress (plural zebresses)
* (rare) A female zebra.
** 1913 June 11, New-York Tribune, volume LXXIII, number 24,314, New York, N.Y., page 4, column 1:“ZEBRESS” COMES TO PARK / The population of the city’s menagerie in Central Park is increasing fast. The increase is due principally to a high birth rate, while yesterday a female zebra, styled by one of the park employes as a “zebress,” arrived from an animal dealer’s place in Germany to become the mate of Paddy, a zebra purchased some months ago. […] The “zebress” is three years old and is a fine specimen.
** 1927, Esther Singleton, “Dolls of To-day”, in Dolls, New York, N.Y.: Payson & Clarke Ltd, page 136:The lady now appearing wears a dress of black and white stripes—she might be very properly termed a zebra or zebress—and her sash is of pale, canary silk.
** 1928 August 2, E. L., “Mississippi Brevities”, in The Lexington Advertiser, volume 91, number 12, Lexington, Miss., page 3, column 2:A male zebra who lives at Livingston park in Jackson longed for love and affection. So lonely did he become that a local hotel sought a mate, presented her to him. Delighted with the selection, zebra and zebress have become friskly, renewed interest in life.
** 1964, Ralph De Sola, Abbreviations Dictionary: Abbreviations, Acronyms, Contractions, Signs & Symbols Defined […], revised edition, New York, N.Y.: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, →LCCN, page 213, column 1:zebrass: zebra plus ass—hybrid of zebra and jenny ass or zebress and jackass
** 1967, Paul Hiebert, “Jordan Middleduck”, in Willows Revisited, Toronto, Ont.; Montreal, Que.: McClelland and Stewart Limited, page 110:And the arrows were up and the gangplank down – / And here come the animals afraid to drown! / Through every doorway, entrance and egress, / Come dashing teams, a zebra and zebress, / A tiger and tigress, a gnu and a she-gnu, / A jack and a jenny, a mu and an emu, / A pair of elephants, a brace of rhinoceros, / Two dinosaurus – mostly esophagus, […]
** 1967 January 15, Dick Benke, “Movie Review: ‘Morgan’; Reality, Fantasy Get All Mixed Up”, in Independent Star-News, Pasadena, Calif., page C-8, column 4:As Leonie, she obviously loves Morgan, but how can you have a life with a man who keeps seeing you as a gazelle or a lioness or zebress?
** 1970 March 23, David L. Maulsby, “Zoo’s New Denizens Include An Aoudad (Or Aou-Mom?)”, in The Sun, volume 266, number 45, Baltimore, Md., page C 8, column 1:A Grant zebra was acquired to provide sweetness, light, friendship and, possibly, romance for the zoo’s zebress.
** 1979 January 19, Hugh Mulligan, “Mulligan’s Stew”, in Evening Express, volume 96, number 82, Portland, Me., page 3, columns 3–4:“Taking my kid, offspring, heir, bairn in Edinburgh and garcon in Nice to the Washington Zoo today.” “They got everything from A to Z there.” “Aardvarks, acaroids, addax, agouti, alligators, alpaca, antlions, amardillo,, aug, auklets, aurochs, areayes …” “He’ll go ape before he gets to the azygous axoloti which as you know is amphibious.” “It’ll be dark, dusk, twilight, eventide before we zero in on the zander, zebra, zebress, zebu, aibet, aoril and zorilla.”
** 1983, Jean Morgan, “Crazy Jean Tries a Limerick: On Reading in Darwin of the Zebra Who Refused the Donkey Until He Looked Something Like Her”, in High priestess of Change, Laurinburg, N.C.: St. Andrews Press, →ISBN, page 46:A zebress was once introduced to a donkey. / The donkey said darling, I know this sounds funky, / But let’s you and me / Get together; you’ll see / We’ll make us a little zebronkey. / The zebress said cooly, that’s sweet of you, hon, / But we’re species apart, and I really must run.
** 2009 August, Donna Andrews, Swan for the Money (Meg Langslow Mysteries; 11), New York, N.Y.: Minotaur Books, →ISBN, page 42:“You two can start exploring if you like,” I said. “Or wait here in the car. I’m just going to ask her about hosting the garden club buffet.” / “No, let’s beard the lioness in her den,” Dr. Blake said, offering Caroline his arm. / “More like a zebress, don’t you think?” Caroline said.
** 2016, Brian Scott Bowers, “The Passionate Prison, a Zoological Adventure…”, in It’s a Poop Sneeze: From Family Dysfunction & Fast Food Funnies to a “F*cker” in Politics, →ISBN, section 9 (Au Naturale), page 152:Zebra: I am sooo turned on by your stripes baby! / Zebress: Oh really? Well in that case......... KICK! / Zebra: OW! Let me move on up behind you here. This good for you? / Zebress: KICK! Approach vector too high. Permission to land is DENIED / Zebra: Tower, request permission for fly-by / Zebress: Negative Ghost-Rider, the pattern is full. KICK!