zoo

[zoo]

See more synonyms for zoo on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural zoos.

Also called zoological garden. a parklike area in which live animals are kept in cages or large enclosures for public exhibition.
Informal. a place, activity, or group marked by chaos or unrestrained behavior.

Origin of zoo

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

zoo-

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

Also especially before a vowel, zo-.

Origin of zoo-

combining form representing Greek zôion animal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for zoo

Contemporary Examples

Triplet panda cubs born this past July were reunited with their mother, Juxiao, in a Chinese zoo this week.
‘Sexual’ Barbershop Quartet, a Panda Family Reunion, and More Viral Videos
The Daily Beast Video
December 14, 2014
She worked with wildlife as a volunteer in Peru and the Galapagos; she worked with elephants in Thailand, at a zoo in Australia.
Let’s Free Stacey Addison, The Oregon Woman Jailed at the Ends of the Earth
Christopher Dickey
October 30, 2014
The zoo is blessed with multiple wallabies and was happy to oblige.
Ebola's Roots Are 50 Times Older Than Mankind. And That Could Be the Key to Stopping It.
Michael Daly
October 20, 2014
In Atlanta, though, you can spend the night in a zoo with real live animals.
Zoo Atlanta Invites You To A Slumber Party
Starbucks
July 10, 2014
Even before it was unveiled, critics were attacking the 21st-century version of the offensive original “zoo.”
Norway’s Controversial Human Zoo Is Back
Nina Strochlic
May 19, 2014

Historical Examples

I knew there was a big menagerie there, Cross's Zoo, and that I should find some lions for sale.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
The zoo attendants might talk and entirely spoil their scheme.
The Mind Master
Arthur J. Burks
"I've been to the zoo lots of times," she said to the girl next to her.
The Hunters
William Morrison
They say there is a country where the elephants are wild,And never even heard of our Zoo.
Golden Moments
Anonymous
Has the reader ever visited that famous resort of youth, the Zoo?
Follow My leader
Talbot Baines Reed

British Dictionary definitions for zoo

zoo

noun plural zoos

a place where live animals are kept, studied, bred, and exhibited to the publicFormal term: zoological garden

Word Origin

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

zoo-

before a vowel zo-

combining form

indicating animalszooplankton

Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for zoo

n.

c.1847, short for Zoological Gardens of the London Zoological Society, established 1828 in Regent's Park to house the society's collection of wild animals. From comb. form of Greek zoion "an animal," literally "a living being," from PIE root *gwei- "to live, life" (cf. Greek bios "life," Old English cwicu "living;" see bio-). Slang meaning "crowded and chaotic place" first recorded 1935.

zoo in Medicine

zoo-

pref.

Animal; animal kingdom:zoonosis.

Idioms and Phrases with zoo

zoo

see it's a zoo.

zoo

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}zoo

zoo-

Origin of zoo-

Examples from the Web for zoo

Contemporary Examples

Triplet panda cubs born this past July were reunited with their mother, Juxiao, in a Chinese zoo this week.

She worked with wildlife as a volunteer in Peru and the Galapagos; she worked with elephants in Thailand, at a zoo in Australia.

The zoo is blessed with multiple wallabies and was happy to oblige.

In Atlanta, though, you can spend the night in a zoo with real live animals.

Even before it was unveiled, critics were attacking the 21st-century version of the offensive original “zoo.”

Historical Examples

I knew there was a big menagerie there, Cross's Zoo, and that I should find some lions for sale.

The zoo attendants might talk and entirely spoil their scheme.

"I've been to the zoo lots of times," she said to the girl next to her.

They say there is a country where the elephants are wild,And never even heard of our Zoo.

Has the reader ever visited that famous resort of youth, the Zoo?

zoo

Word Origin

zoo-

before a vowel zo-

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for zoo

n.

zoo-

Idioms and Phrases with zoo

zoo

Origin of zoo