ETYM German zink, probably akin to zinn tin: cf. French zinc, from the German. Related to Tin.
A bluish-white lustrous metallic element; brittle at ordinary temperatures but malleable when heated; used in a wide variety of alloys and in galvanizing iron; it occurs as zinc sulphide in zinc blende; SYN. Zn, atomic number 30.
Hard, brittle, bluish white, metallic element, symbol Zn, atomic number 30, atomic weight 65.37. The principal ore is sphalerite or zinc blende (zinc sulfide, ZnS). Zinc is little affected by air or moisture at ordinary temperatures; its chief uses are in alloys such as brass and in coating metals (for example, galvanized iron). Its compounds include zinc oxide, used in ointments (as an astringent) and cosmetics, paints, glass, and printing ink.
Zinc has been used as a component of brass since the Bronze Age, but it was not recognized as a separate metal until 1746, when it was described by German chemist Andreas Sigismund Marggraf (1709–1782). The name derives from the shape of the crystals on smelting.

To treat or coat with zinc; galvanize

Town in Arkansas (USA).