DSL - SND1   Z, letter of the alphabet. The twenty-sixth letter of the alphabet, denoting the voiced fore-blade fricative [z] and called zed [zed], +zad (see ZAD), as in Eng., also dim. form ZAIDIE, q.v., though a dissyllabic form ['IzId, 'IzIt] was also common both in Sc. and Eng., and is still heard among old speakers (Sc. 1721 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) I. Gl.; Ags. 1810 J. Paterson Poems 133; Fif. 1875 A. Burgess Poute 28). See also IZZAT. Lord Glenbervie records (c.1775 Signet Lib. MS. 107) that initial z as in zeal, zenith, zone was sounded in Sc. as [dz]. This is still in use among some speakers as in e.g. zoo [dzu], and in the name of the letter [(I)'dzed]. Its usages are substantially the same as in Eng. When the sound represents s voiced intervocalically, some writers use z as a more phonetic representation as in cruzie, CRUISIE, mizzour, MEASURE, rooze, RUISE. In Sc. the ending -sure is pronounced [z@r] as in leisure, pleasure; when the Eng. pronunciation [Z@r] is intended, this is sometimes indicated by the spelling -zh- as in pleezher. Cf. fuzhonless, FUSHIONLESS, puzhen, PUSHION. c [s] is pronounced [z] in December in m.Sc. and PRECENTOR in some areas. As explained under Y, letter, the character 3 (yogh), representing the sound [j], came to be confused with a cursive z and the early Sc. printers freq. used z, when 3 was not available in their founts. This sound being the second element in l and n mouillé, spellings like +bailzie, CAPERCAILZIE, CUNZIE, FAILZIE, fenzie (FEINGIE), GABERLUNZIE, spulzie (SPULYIE) are common, and some have survived in modern arch. or hist. usage, notably in proper names like Culzean [kV'len], Dalziel [d@(l)'jel], Drummelzier ['-meljer], Menzies ['mIngIz], MacKenzie [+m@'kengji. See Scott H. Midlothian xii., Stevenson Edinburgh v.], Benzie [+'bengji], Cockenzie [+kO'kene], Lenzie [+'lenI]. Hence also in eclectic writers zit, yet (Sc. 1871 P. H. Waddell Psalms cxix. 55), zung, young (Sc. 1913 H. P. Cameron Imit. Christ iii. xxxv.). This 3 ( > z) sometimes also represented an orig. [hj,j], which in some words developed into [S(j)], and hence spellings such as ZETLAND, q.v., zirrie, zery, sherry, zizars, SHISSORS, scissors. `Z. See HIS, pron., HIZ, IS, v., US.