NYT Dictionary

ZENANA

/zəˈnɑːnə/
NounZE-na-naze-na-na · 3 syllablesAdvanced/Professional

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026

Meaning

Synonym of harem (“area of house or palace for high-caste women or wives of a wealthy man; the women thus kept; the system of segregating women in this way”).

Etymology

Origin: Old English

From Hindi ज़नाना (zanānā), Urdu زنانه (zanānah), from Classical Persian زنانه (zanāna, “womanly”), from زن (zan, “woman”). Related to Old English cwene (“woman”). More at quean.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

haremsissybottomtrans woman

NYT Puzzle Appearances

No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.

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