zoo-, zoa-, zo-, -zoic, -zoid, -zoite, -zoal, -zonal, -zooid, -zoon, -zoa, -zoan

(Greek: animal, animals; living beings; life)

anthozoon (s) (noun), anthozoa (pl)
One organism of the class Anthozoa: An anthozoan is a marine invertebrate and can be a coral or a sea anemone, for example.
anthropozoic (adjective) (not comparable)
Pertaining to the period of geological formations since human existence: The anthropozoic era designates the time that has elapsed, or the rocks that have been deposited, since mankind appeared on the earth, especially in the Quaternary period.
anthropozoonosis (s) (noun), anthropozoonoses (pl)
An animal disease (zoonosis) maintained in nature by animals and transmissible to humans, e.g. rabies: One example of anthropozoonosis is brucellosis, an infectious disorder caused by brucella (non-motile-parasitic bacteria), characterized by fever, sweating, weakness, aches, and pains, and communicated to man by direct contact with sick animals or through ingestion of infected meat, milk, or cheese, and is particularly hazardous to veterinarians, farmers, and slaughterhouse workers.
anthropozoophilic (adjective), more anthropozoophilic, most anthropozoophilic
Referring to the attraction towards humans and other animals as hosts: Certain kinds of mosquitoes, for example, are anthropozoophilic in that they bite and suck the blood of a person and can cause an itchy rash.
Archaeozoic, Archeozoic (proper noun)
The time from 3,800 million years to 2,500 million years ago: Archaeozoic is the era when the Earth's crust formed and unicellular organisms were the earliest forms of life.
Archaeozoic, Archeozoic (adjective) (not comparable)
In geology, regarding the earlier half of the Precambrian Era, from about 5 billion to 2.5 billion years ago: During the Archaeozoic period, the earliest datable rocks were formed, and from which the oldest known fossil forms, blue-green algae and bacteria, were recovered.
ascidiozooid (s) (noun), ascidiozooids (pl)
One of the individual members of a compound ascidian which are members of the Ascidiacea: Sea-squirts or sedentary tunicates are regarded as ascidiozooids and live either alone or in colonies. They have a degenerate nervous system, an atrium opening dorsally near the mouth, and numerous gill-slits forming a basket-work. The whole organism is enclosed in a "test" or outer skin made of material resembling cellulose.
autozooid (s) (noun), autozooids (pl)
An independent polyp capable of feeding itself: An autozooid is a completely formed alcyonarian zooid and is different when compared to a siphonozooid.

A "polyp" is described as a cylindrical organism with a thin body-wall consisting of two single layers of cells, the "ectoderm" and the "endoderm" separated by a gelatinous noncellular layer or "mesogloea".

At one end there may be a mouth which is usually surrounded by tentacles. Polyps may be single (e.g, "hydra") or colonial (e.g. the coral-forming organisms). The latter are formed by repeated budding from a parent polyp.

In such colonies a tube or "coenosarc" links the body-cavities of all the individuals with one another. There may be many different kinds of polyps in a colony, each specialized for some different function, such as feeding, reproduction, protecting, etc.

azoic (adjective), more azoic, most azoic
A reference to being devoid of living organisms; without life: Biologists talk about an azoic time when our Earth existed without any life on it.

Specifically, designating the Early Precambrian ("Archean") era, before life appeared on earth because the azoic rocks did not contain any signs of organic remains.

azoology (s) (noun) (no pl)
The scientific study of inanimate nature: Jane was surprised to know about azoology as the research about non-living entities in the earth's environment, like rocks or sand.
azoospermia (s) (noun), azoospermias (pl)
Absence of living spermatozoa in the semen: Infertility, but not impotence, is associated with azoospermia.
Bryozoa (s) (noun) (no pl)
Moss animals; Polyzoa; Ectoprocta: Bryozoa are a taxonomic group of simple or basic aquatic invertebrate animals which mostly live in motionless groups.
bryozoan (s) (noun), bryozoans (pl)
A marine invertebrate of the phylum Bryozoa: The bryozoans group together in mossy colonies of polyps and each of them have a "lophophore", or feeding organ.

The bryozoans attach themselves to hard substrates, like stones or seaweed, and reproduce by the way of budding.

Caenozoic, Cainozoic, Cenozoic (adjective) (not comparable)
The most recent division of geological time: The Caenozoic Era includes the tertiary, or "Age of Mammals", and the Quaternary, or "Age of Man".

During the Cenozoic period, which was about 63 million years ago, modern continents, glaciations, and the variety of mammals, birds, and plants were created.

celozoic (adjective) (not comparable)
Relating to, or being within any of the cavities of the body: The celozoic formations, which inhabit any cavity of the body, can apply to certain parasitic protozoa, chiefly gregarines, that is the order of Protozoa, allied to the Rhizopoda, and parasitic in other animals, as in the earthworm, lobster, etc..

Related "animal" units: anima-; faun-; therio-.


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