ז״ל

Hebrew

Etymology 1

A shorthand way of writing זכרונו\ה\ם\ן לברכה (zikhronó/á/ám/án livrakhá) or זכרו\ה\ם\ן לברכה (zikhró/á/ám/án livrakhá), both of which mean “may his/her/their memory be a blessing”.

Pronunciation

See usage notes below.

Adjective

ז״ל • (Z.L.)

1. Of blessed memory, may he/she/they rest in peace; used after a reference to one or more deceased people.

Usage notes

• The abbreviation ז״ל is usually read out as the words it stands for (see etymology above). This means that its pronunciation depends on whether the referent is a woman, a man, multiple women, or a group of people including at least one man. It is, however, sometimes also pronounced /zal/.

Derived terms

• חז״ל (khazal)
• אריז״ל (arizal)

See also

• זצ״ל (zatsal)

Etymology 2

Abbreviation of זֶה לְשׁוֹנוֹ (literally “this is his language”).

Pronunciation

Pronounced as the words it abbreviates.

Phrase

ז״ל • (ze l'shono)

1. Used to indicate the start of a direct quotation.

Usage notes

• The quotation is often capped off with עכ״ל.