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zoophyte

American  
[zoh-uh-fahyt] / ˈzoʊ əˌfaɪt /

noun

  1. any of various invertebrate animals resembling a plant, as a coral or a sea anemone.


zoophyte British  
/ ˌzəʊəˈfɪtɪk, ˈzəʊəˌfaɪt /

noun

  1. any animal resembling a plant, such as a sea anemone

"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

  • zoophytic adjective
  • zoophytical adjective

Etymology

Origin of zoophyte

1615–25; < New Latin zōophyton < Greek zōióphyton. See zoo-, -phyte

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.

Every point was occupied by some feathery tuft of lovely tints, while from each cleft projected the feelers of some sea-anemone or zoophyte.

From A Voyage round the World A book for boys by Kingston, William Henry Giles

I wish I was, like some worthy people I know, a mere human zoophyte, consisting of nothing but a mouth and a stomach.

From In the Days of My Youth by Edwards, Amelia Ann Blanford

An important member of the zoophyte family, and one often introduced into aquaria, is the actinia, or sea-anemone, sometimes called sea-rose.

From Harper's Young People, April 13, 1880 An Illustrated Weekly by Various

These wondrous phenomena of nature belong to the genus hydra, class vermes, order zoophyte; the distinguishing character of which is, that if any part of the body be severed, it instantly becomes a perfect animal.

From Antigua and the Antiguans, Volume II (of 2) A full account of the colony and its inhabitants from the time of the Caribs to the present day by Anonymous

This was not compassion that the ecstacies with which a zoophyte was discovered, or the glad cries with which a bit of sundew was hailed, must be such transient joys.

From Mushroom Town by Onions, Oliver