Metazoa

[ met-uh-zoh-uh ]

/ ˌmɛt əˈzoʊ ə /

noun

a zoological group comprising the multicellular animals.

Origin of Metazoa

From New Latin, dating back to 1870–75; see origin at meta-, -zoa

Related formsmet·a·zo·an, adjective, nounmet·a·zo·ic, met·a·zo·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for metazoa

We see, then, that the origin of all these free-living cells can be traced back to the very earliest of the Metazoa.
The Origin of Vertebrates|Walter Holbrook Gaskell
The parasites found in the bowel belong principally to two natural groups, Protozoa and Metazoa.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 4|Various
Minot had tried to prove that the death of metazoa is due to the greater differentiation and specialization of their tissues.
The Organism as a Whole|Jacques Loeb
The phylum Porifera or Spongi includes the simplest of the Metazoa or multicellular animals.
Freshwater Sponges, Hydroids & Polyzoa|Nelson Annandale

Van Beneden is anxious to form it, on account of its simple organization, into a group between the Protozoa and the Metazoa.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume II (of 4)|Francis Maitland Balfour

Medicine definitions for metazoa

Metazoa

[ mĕt′ə-zō′ə ]

n.

A subdivision of the animal kingdom that includes all multicellular animal organisms having cells that are differentiated and form tissues and organs.

Related formsmet′a•zo′an adj. n.