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

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

trophozooid (s) (noun), trophozooids (pl)
A nutritive polyp or zooid in coral and similar colonial coelenterates: A trophozooid is a non-reproductive zooid in a hydrozoan colonial organism.

A trophozooid is an individual of a sexual generation of a free-swimming tunicate that does not develop into sexual maturity and does not become detached from its parent.

zoacanthosis (s) (noun), zoacanthoses (pl)
Dermatitis due to a foreign body, such as a bristle or hair from an animal: Jane noticed a bad spot developing on her arm after gardening the day before, so she went to the doctor who diagnosed it as being a case of zoacanthosis and extracted the stinger which had penetrated into her skin, and gave her some medication to relieve and cure the injury.
zoantharian (adjective) (not comparable)
Pertaining to the Zoantharia: A zoantharian animal is one of a group of the Zoantharia, which includes all the stony corals and sea anemones.
zoantharian (s) (noun), zoantharians (pl)
A member of the subclass Zoantharia of anthozoans: A zoantharian is one of the many coelenterates that have polyps possessing more than eight tentacles and exemplified by the sea anemones and stony corals.
zoanthropic (adjective) (not comparable)
Descriptive of a mental disorder in which people believe themselves to be animals: Timothy had the vision that he was a beast, or other creature, and after his doctor examined him, he said that he was suffering from a zoanthropic deception.

A zoanthropic psychotic belief is a kind of monomania, or delusion, in which patients are convinced that they have been transformed into one of the lower animals.

zoanthropy (s) (noun) (no pl)
A mental derangement, or disorder, in which a person believes himself or herself to be an animal and acts accordingly: It is rarely the case, but sometimes it can be very serious when a person truly believes that he or she is becoming an animal and then loses contact with reality.
A man believes that he is a bull and behaves as if he were that animal.
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Zoanthus (s) (noun) (no pl)
A genus of Actinaria, including numerous species, found mostly in tropical seas: The zooids or polyps in the Zoanthus taxonomic group appear like small, elongated actinias banded together at their bases by fatty stolons, and thus forming extended formations. The tentacles are small and brightly colored.

zoarium (s) (noun), zoariums; zoaria (pl)
Any organic body or cell capable of spontaneous movement, such as zooids or animals: Using a high powered microscope, the students were able to identify several types of zoariums.
zodiac (s) (noun), zodiacs (pl)
Literally, a “circle of animal figures”; a narrow band in the sky in which the movements of the major planets, Sun, and Moon take place: The zodiac is astrologically divided into twelve sections named for the major constellations which are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
Zoe (proper name)
A female first name, ζωή, which means "life" in Greek: Zoe is also translated as the name Eve and the Hebrew name Hava.
zoetrope (s) (noun), zoetropes (pl)
A device that produces an illusion of action from a rapid succession of static or still pictures: A zoetrope consists of a cylinder with slits cut vertically in the sides. Beneath the slits, on the inner surface of the cylinder, is a band which has either individual frames from a set of sequenced drawings or photographs.

As the cylinder spins, the user looks through the slits at the pictures on the opposite side of the cylinder's interior making the images appear to be animated or in motion.

Viewing through the slits keeps the pictures from simply blurring together, so that the user sees a rapid succession of images producing the illusion of motion, the equivalent of a motion picture.

Cylindrical zoetropes give the illusion that the images seem to be thinner than their actual sizes when viewed in motion through the slits.

zoiatria (s) (noun) (no pl)
The science and art of treating the diseases and injuries of lower animals: When Jane was walking along the road she saw a sign on the door of the veterinarian stating that he was a professional in the area of zoiastria, or animal surgery, and such medical care was possible at his office.
zoidal (adjective) (not comparable)
A reference to an animal or animals: Since Janet was interested in zoidal creatures, she thought she'd like to study zoology.
zoidiogamic (adjective) (not comparable)
Regarding the fertilization by a mature motile male reproductive cell: For his seminar, Greg was happy to find some details regarding the distinctions in zoidiogamic processes among different organisms.
zoidiogamy (s) (noun) (no pl)
Fertilization by a motile male gamete: For her term paper in biology, Jane finally found some information regarding zoidiogamy, or the process of fecundaton by spermatozoids.

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


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