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zoea

American

[zoh-ee-uh] / zoʊˈi ə /

noun

Zoology.

plural

zoeae, zoeas

any of the free-swimming larva of certain crustaceans, as the crab, having rudimentary legs and a spiny carapace.

zoea British

/ zəʊˈiːə /

noun

the free-swimming larva of a crab or related crustacean, which has well-developed abdominal appendages and may bear one or more spines

"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 Word Forms

zoeal

adjective

Etymology

Origin of zoea

1820–30; < New Latin, equivalent to Greek zō ( ḗ ) life + New Latin -ea -ea

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Micrograph c shows green crab zoea larva, which resembles a shrimp.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Again and again its skin splits, and a rather different zoea appears.

From On the Seashore by Smith, R. Cadwallader

So far as the zoea was concerned, this assumption was soon shown to be erroneous, and the secondary nature of this type of larva is now generally admitted.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7 "Crocoite" to "Cuba" by Various

It was called a zoea; but you can call it a Crab caterpillar or larva.

From On the Seashore by Smith, R. Cadwallader

This happens about once a week, until, hey presto! the spiked zoea is now rather like a Crab.

From On the Seashore by Smith, R. Cadwallader

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023