zoophyte

American  

[zoh-uh-fahyt] / ˈzoʊ əˌfaɪt /

noun

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

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zoophyte British  

/ ˌzəʊəˈfɪtɪk, ˈzəʊəˌfaɪt /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• zoophytic adjective
• zoophytical adjective

Etymology

Origin of zoophyte

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

Example Sentences

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