zoophagous

American  

[zoh-of-uh-guhs] / zoʊˈɒf ə gəs /

adjective

1. carnivorous.

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zoophagous British  

/ zəʊˈɒfəɡəs /

adjective

1. feeding on animals

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Etymology

Origin of zoophagous

First recorded in 1825–35; zoo- + -phagous

Explanation

A zoophagous animal is a carnivore — in other words, it eats other animals. Bears, wolves, and sharks can all be described as zoophagous. It is much more common to use the adjective carnivorous to describe a meat-eating animal, but if you come across zoophagous in a science textbook, you'll know what it means. Animals that are zoophagous eat animals or animal matter, so everything from lions to parasites can be described this way. The word combines the roots zoo, from the Greek zoion, "animal or living being," and -phagous, "eating or feeding on," from the Greek phagein, "to eat."