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zoo- or zo-

pref.

1. Animal; animal kingdom: zoography.

2. Motile: zoospore.

[Greek zōo-, zōio-, from zōion, living being; see g^wei- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

zoo

(z)

n. pl. zoos

1. A park or an institution in which living animals are kept and usually exhibited to the public. Also called zoological garden.

2. Slang A place or situation marked by confusion or disorder: The bus station is a zoo on Fridays.

[Short for ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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