metazoan

/ (ˌmɛtəˈzəʊən) /


noun
  1. any multicellular animal of the group Metazoa : includes all animals except sponges

adjectiveAlso: metazoic
  1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Metazoa

Origin of metazoan

1
C19: from New Latin Metazoa; see meta-, -zoa

Words Nearby metazoan

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

How to use metazoan in a sentence

  • In the metazoan body each cell performs, in co-operation with many other similar cells, some one special function or process.

Scientific definitions for metazoan

metazoan

[ mĕt′ə-zōən ]


  1. Any of the animals belonging to the subkingdom Metazoa, having a body made up of differentiated cells arranged in tissues and organs. All multicellular animals besides sponges are metazoans.

  2. A multicellular animal. No longer in scientific use.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.