ZONE

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin zona belt, ~, from Greek zōnē; akin to Lithuanian juosti to gird Date: 15th century 1. any of five great divisions of the earth's surface with respect to latitude and temperature, a portion of the surface of a sphere included between two parallel planes, girdle , belt , 3. an encircling anatomical structure, b. a subdivision of a biogeographic region that supports a similar fauna and flora throughout its extent, such a ~ dominated by a particular life form, a distinctive belt, layer, or series of layers of earth materials (as rock), a region or area set off as distinct from surrounding or adjoining parts, one of the sections of an area or territory created for a particular purpose: as, a ~d section of a city, b. any of the eight concentric bands of territory centered on a given postal shipment point designated as a distance bracket for United States parcel post to which mail is charged at a single rate, a distance within which the same fare is charged by a common carrier, an area on a field of play, a stretch of roadway or a space in which certain traffic regulations are in force, ~ defense , a temporary state of heightened concentration experienced by a performing athlete that enables peak performance , II. transitive verb (~d; zoning) Date: 1782 to surround with a ~ ; encircle , to arrange in or mark off into ~s, ~r noun III. adjective Date: 1795 zonal 1, of, relating to, or occurring in a ~ defense