Survival Dictionary

One earthenware pot placed inside another larger earthenware pot, lined and insulated with wet sand or earth between the two pots forms a primitive refrigeration system requiring no electricity. The evaporation of water keeps the material cool and foods stay for longer.

A celestial navigation tool, it is the distance from the point directly overhead at 90° (zenith) and a second celestial object. It is calculated by measuring the angle to that object and the horizon and subtracting that from 90. This is particularly important since this distance in degrees multiplied by 60 is exactly equal to nautical miles. For instance, if the zenith distance is 28°, then the distance to the point that object points directly below on Earth from the current location equals 1,680 nautical miles.

Midnight. The transition from one day to the next when the clock reads 0000 hours.

God of the Skies in Greek mythology.

A type of dry cell battery that delivers 1.5 volts.

Also called flying fox, it consists of a pulley suspended on a cable mounted on a slope. It is designed to enable a user propelled by gravity to travel from the top to the bottom of the inclined cable by being attached to the freely moving pulley. Longer and higher rides are often used as a means of accessing remote areas, such as a rainforest canopy. Zip line tours are becoming popular adventure activities.

A zip tie or cable tie is a flexible nylon gadget used to secure items together. In the wilderness they can be used to set traps.

Ziploc is a brand name of a resealable zippered storage bag, usually made of plastic to store food or other items that need to be kept dry. In a survival situation they can be used to store water, pasteurise contaminated water, as a collecting container, etc.

Device with interlocking teeth for binding the edges of an opening of fabric or other flexible material, like jackets, pullovers, jeans, jackets or bags, tents, sleeping bags, etc.

Small inflatable boat with or without a rigid hull. Also called a dinghy. Named after Zodiac, the French company who manufactured inflatable rubber boats and invented the inflatable kayak and catamaran.

The fictional walking dead. When everything is devastated and in ruins after an apocalypse, zombies rise and carry out an attack on what is left of civilisation leading to isolated pockets of survivors in a pre-industrial world.

Used by some preppers as a tongue-in-cheek metaphor for any disaster.

Flat and thonged Japanese sandals made of rice straw or other plant fibers, cloth, lacquered wood, leather, rubber or synthetic materials. Quite similar to flip-flops, zōri are associated with the more formal kimono. The formality of the occasion affects the choice of kimono and zōri. Like all Japanese sandals, zōri allow for free circulation of air around the feet, a feature that probably came about because of the humid climate that predominates throughout most of Japan. They are easily slipped on and off, which is important in a culture where shoes are constantly removed and put back on.

Greenwich Mean Time. The time at Greenwich, England. Also known as Coordinated Universal Time and GMT.

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “Zero beat”