zoon
[ zoh-on ]
/ ˈzoʊ ɒn /
|
noun, plural zo·a [zoh-uh] /ˈzoʊ ə/. Biology Rare.
any of the individuals of a compound organism.
any individual, or the individuals collectively, produced from a single egg.
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They Call It Puppy Love And Other Animal-inspired PhrasesWe often attribute emotions and other human characteristics to animals. This is called anthropomorphism. Similarly, we also describe people using animal characteristics. You might, for example, say my teenage son “eats like a horse,” meaning he’s a growing boy and consumes a lot of food. This is called zoomorphism. Zoomorphism also includes assigning animal-like qualities to gods and inanimate objects. The term comes from the Greek …
Nearby words
- zoomastigophorea,
- zoometric,
- zoometry,
- zoomorphic,
- zoomorphism,
- zoonal,
- zoonosis,
- zoonotic,
- zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis,
- zoonotic potential
Origin of zoon
1860–65; < New Latin zōon < Greek zôion animal
-zoon
a combining form meaning “animal,” “organism” of the kind specified by the initial element, often corresponding to zoological class names ending in -zoa, with -zoon used to name a single member of such a class: protozoon.
Origin of -zoon
see origin at zoon
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for zoon
zoon
/ (ˈzəʊɒn) /
noun plural zoa (ˈzəʊə) or zoons
a less common term for zooid (def. 1)
Word Origin for zoon
C19: from New Latin, from Greek zōion animal; related to Greek zōē life
-zoon
n combining form
indicating an individual animal or an independently moving entity derived from an animalspermatozoon
Word Origin for -zoon
from Greek zōion animal
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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-zoon
suff.
Animal; independently moving organic unit:spermatozoon.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.