Zombis

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A plural form referring to animated corpses often depicted as reanimated by supernatural or scientific means ; creatures commonly featured in horror fiction representing mindless beings driven by primal instincts ; entities characterized by a lack of self-awareness and motor control typical in folklore and popular culture
2. Denotes multiple undead beings typically portrayed as risen from the grave through magical or viral causes ; symbolizes hordes of soulless humanoid monsters usually inclined to consume living flesh ; instances of fictional or mythological figures embodying a loss of personal identity and autonomous thought
3. Refers to a group of once-living beings revived as shambling, brainless foes in horror narratives ; used to describe numerous zombie-like monsters known for endless pursuit of the living ; applies to a collective of fictional creatures exhibiting automatic, instinct-driven behavior without consciousness

Etymology: "Zombis" is the plural of "zombi", the form that English took from a West African source, though the exact route is not documented in the material available here. Its story is mostly about the word's meaning, which is far more recent than the word itself: in the older senses it named a spirit or a deity in Caribbean and Haitian belief systems, not a corpse walking the earth. The modern sense of "zombi" as a reanimated dead body came into the picture much later, shaped by film and fiction, and it is that sense that has pushed the plural into common use. Ordinary readers tend to meet the plural in phrases about crowds of the undead, which is why it is the form people reach for when they picture a horde.

Synonyms: zombies, undead, reanimated corpses, ghouls, walkers