You might think we'd take it from the top with zenith, synonymous with "acme or culminating point." Zenith has its origin in an Arabic term that translates as "way over one's head" and that names the point of the celestial sphere directly opposite the nadir and vertically above the observer.

Or you might hazard a guess we'd give the nod to the French-Cajun zydeco. But no—that popular music of southern Louisiana, which may take its name from a modification of the Cajun dance tune "Les Haricots Sont Pas Sales," is not today's mot juste either.

That distinction belongs to the German-born zeitgeist—literally, "time spirit." Although some folks might think we're putting the cart before the horse in discussing the term for the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era on the very first day of the new year, remember that it is Z Day and that we have the power to shape the spirit of the time.