zoo

[ zoo ]

/ zu /

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.

Nearby words

Origin of zoo

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

Definition for zoo (2 of 2)

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for zoo

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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
A good circus or "zoo" may be worked out in a variety of materials.
Primary Handwork|Ella Victoria Dobbs
About a year ago Mr. and Mrs. M. were away for six weeks, and left the boa in charge of a keeper at the Zoo.
Animal Intelligence|George J. Romanes
For this reason most of the tigers in a zoo are much smaller than those tigers that grow up in the jungle.
The Wonders of the Jungle, Book Two|Prince Sarath Ghosh
She's overstocked this Zoo a dozen times already with her jealous freaks, and Jupiter hasn't reformed once.
Olympian Nights|John Kendrick Bangs
Under the great blazing sign of the Zoo entrance the capture was accomplished.
The Poor Little Rich Girl|Eleanor Gates

British Dictionary definitions for zoo (1 of 2)

zoo

/ (zuː) /

noun plural zoos

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

Word Origin for zoo

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

British Dictionary definitions for zoo (2 of 2)

zoo-

before a vowel zo-

combining form

indicating animalszooplankton

Word Origin for zoo-

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

zoo

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

noun, plural zoos.

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Nearby words

Origin of zoo

Definition for zoo (2 of 2)

zoo-

Origin of zoo-

Examples from the Web for zoo

British Dictionary definitions for zoo (1 of 2)

zoo

noun plural zoos

Word Origin for zoo

British Dictionary definitions for zoo (2 of 2)

zoo-

before a vowel zo-

combining form

Word Origin for zoo-

Word Origin and History for zoo

zoo

Medicine definitions for zoo

zoo-

pref.

Idioms and Phrases with zoo

zoo