ze·bra  (z??br?)n.1. Any of several swift African mammals of the genus Equus, resembling the horse and having distinctive overall markings of alternating white and black or brown stripes.2. Any of various striped organisms, such as a zebrafish.3. A referee in football.[Italian, from Portuguese zevra, from Old Portuguese zevro, zevra, wild ass, perhaps from Vulgar Latin *eciferus, alteration of Latin equiferus, a kind of wild horse : equus, horse; see equine + ferus, wild; see feral. Sense 3, from the referee’s striped shirt.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.zebra (?zi?br?; ?z?br?) n, pl -ras or -ra (Animals) any of several mammals of the horse family (Equidae), such as Equus burchelli (the common zebra), of southern and eastern Africa, having distinctive black-and-white striped hides[C16: via Italian from Old Spanish: wild ass, probably from Vulgar Latin eciferus (unattested) wild horse, from Latin equiferus, from equus horse + ferus wild] ?zebra-?like, zebraic adj zebrine, ?zebroid adjZebra (?zi?br?; ?z?br?) n (Banking & Finance) a noninterest-paying bond in which the accrued income is taxed annually rather than on redemption. Compare zero12[C20: from zero-coupon bond]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014ze?bra (?zi br?; Brit. also ?z?b r?) n., pl. -bras, (esp. collectively) -bra. 1. any of several horselike African mammals of the genus Equus, each species having a characteristic pattern of black or dark brown stripes on a whitish background. 2. Slang. a football official, who usu. wears a black and white striped shirt. [1590?1600;