Naming the train was a task that was very seriously taken by Budd. He wanted a name that started with the letter "Z" because this train was intended to be the "last word" in passenger service; Budd and his coworkers looked up the last words in their dictionaries, but neither "zymurgy" nor "zyzzle" conveyed the meanings that Budd was looking for. The name of the new train came from "The Canterbury Tales", which Budd had been reading. The story begins with pilgrims setting out on a journey, inspired by the budding springtime and by Zephyrus, the gentle and nurturing west wind. Budd thought that would be an excellent name for a sleek new traveling machine—"Zephyr".