zoo

[ zoo ]
See synonyms for zoo on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural zoos.
  1. Also called zoological garden. a parklike area in which live animals are kept in cages or large enclosures for public exhibition.

  2. Informal. a place, activity, or group marked by chaos or unrestrained behavior.

Origin of zoo

1
First recorded in 1840–50; first two syllables of zoological garden taken as one syllable

Other definitions for zoo- (2 of 2)

zoo-

  1. a combining form meaning “living being,” “animal,” used in the formation of compound words: zoometry; zooplankton.

Origin of zoo-

2
Combining form representing Greek zôion animal
  • Also especially before a vowel, zo-.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for zoo (1 of 2)

zoo

/ (zuː) /


nounplural zoos
  1. a place where live animals are kept, studied, bred, and exhibited to the public: Formal term: zoological garden

Origin of zoo

1
C19: shortened from zoological gardens (originally applied to those in London)

British Dictionary definitions for zoo- (2 of 2)

zoo-

combining form
  1. indicating animals: zooplankton

Origin of zoo-

2
from Greek zōion animal

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with zoo

zoo

see it's a zoo.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.