Moving very quickly with a whizzing sound; also means to enlarge or focus closely on something using a lens or camera.
Likely an onomatopoeia, created to imitate the sound of something moving fast. The 'z' sound mimics speed and energy, emerging in the 20th century. Recently revived with video conferencing apps like Zoom.
Zoom started as a sound effect word—someone literally made up a sound for speed—and now it's a billion-dollar company! The app perfectly captured the word's essence by making you zoom in on people's faces during calls.
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