zoon

¹ American  

[zoh-on] / ˈzoʊ ɒn /

noun

Biology Rare.

plural

zoa

1. any of the individuals of a compound organism.

2. any individual, or the individuals collectively, produced from a single egg.

3. zooid.

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-zoon ² American  

1. a combining form meaning “animal,” “organism” of the kind specified by the initial element, often corresponding to zoological class names ending in -zoa, with -zoon used to name a single member of such a class.

   protozoon.

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-zoon ¹ British  

combining form

1. indicating an individual animal or an independently moving entity derived from an animal

   spermatozoon

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zoon ² British  

/ ˈzəʊɒn /

noun

1. a less common term for zooid

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Usage

What does -zoon mean? The combining form -zoon is used like a suffix meaning “animal” or "organism." It is occasionally used in scientific terms, particularly to refer to a single member of classes in zoology. In zoology, class has a specific meaning that refers to taxonomy. The form -zoon comes from Greek zôion, meaning “animal.” The word zoo also ultimately comes from this Greek root. Zoo is shortened from zoological garden. What are variants of -zoon?While -zoon doesn't have any variants, it is related to the form -zoa, which is the plural form of -zoon, as in Protozoa. When combined as a prefix, -zoon becomes zoo- or zo-, as in zooplankton or zooid. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for zoo-, zo-, and -zoa. In some instances, -zoa is made singular by adding an -n to the end of the word, rather than using the combining form -zoon, as in sporozoan.

Other Word Forms

• zoonal adjective

Etymology

Origin of zoon¹

First recorded in 1860–65; from New Latin zōon, from Greek zôion “animal”

Origin of -zoon²

zoon

Example Sentences

Cameras on the arms let the surgeons see what is happening, and they can zoon in and magnify the area being operated on.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2022

When Aristotle labelled our species a zoon politikon, or “political animal”, he linked this idea to our mental capacities.

From The Guardian • Mar. 12, 2019

The Agriculture Department shut down the zoon in November after multiple complaints about animals being mistreated and kept in poor conditions.

From Washington Times • Mar. 16, 2017

I think it was the zoon of a cicada which waked my attention, and once I heard them they seemed to fill the air with shrieking.

From Old Plymouth Trails by Packard, Winthrop

You haf been zick, but you vill zoon be quide vell und shdrong, vor you vill not haf das sore heart, und de droubles which make do hair drop out of your het.”

From Diamond Dyke The Lone Farm on the Veldt - Story of South African Adventure by Boucher, W.