verb ending in 'zu' or 'zuru' (predecessor of modern -jiru verbs)
Linguistic term for a class of classical Japanese verbs that conjugate with ザ行変格活用, such as 論ず (ronzu) and 論ずる (ronzuru). These are the historical source of many modern -jiru verbs (e.g., 論じる).
See also: サ変動詞 (サへんどうし)
'Ronzu' and 'kanzu' are examples of za-hen verbs.
Za-hen verbs are said to be the origin of modern kami-ichidan verbs.
The term combines ザ (za, the kana row for the 'z' consonant) with 変 (hen, 'irregular') and 動詞 (dōshi, 'verb'), referring to verbs that follow the ザ行変格活用 (za-gyō henkaku katsuyō) conjugation pattern in classical Japanese.