zo- -comb form

  1. animal : animal kingdom or kind
    • zo oid
    • zoo logy
  2. motile
    • zoo spore

zo·an·thar·i·an [,zō-ən-'ther-ē-ən] -n, adj

  1. any of a subclass (Hexacorallia syn. Zoantharia) of anthozoans having tentacles or septa or both that are typically six or a multiple of six in number and including most of the recent corals and sea anemones

zo·ca·lo ['zō-kə-,lō] -n

  1. the public square of a Mexican city or town : plaza

zo·di·ac ['zō-dē-,ak] -n, adj

  1. an imaginary band in the heavens centered on the ecliptic that encompasses the apparent paths of all the planets and is divided into 12 constellations or signs each taken for astrological purposes to extend 30 degrees of longitude
  2. a figure representing the signs of the zodiac and their symbols
  3. a cyclic course
    • a zodiac of feasts and fasts -- R. W. Emerson

zodiacal light -n

  1. a diffuse glow seen in the west after twilight and in the east before dawn

zo·ea [zō-'ē-ə] -n

  1. a free-swimming planktonic larval form of many decapod crustaceans and esp. crabs that has a relatively large cephalothorax, conspicuous eyes, and fringed antennae and mouthparts

zoftig ['zäf-tig, 'zȯf-] -adj

(variant of zaftig)

  1. having a full rounded figure : pleasingly plump

zois·ite ['zȯi-,sīt] -n

  1. an orthorhombic mineral that consists of a basic silicate of calcium and aluminum and is related to epidote

zom·bie ['zäm-bē] -n, adj

  1. the supernatural power that according to voodoo belief may enter into and reanimate a dead body
  2. a will-less and speechless human in the West Indies capable only of automatic movement who is held to have died and been supernaturally reanimated
  3. a person held to resemble the so-called walking dead
  4. automaton
  5. a person markedly strange in appearance or behavior
  6. a mixed drink made of several kinds of rum, liqueur, and fruit juice

zom·bi·fy ['zäm-bə-,fī] -vt, n

  1. to turn (an active alert person) into a zombie

zom·bi·ism [-bē-,i-zəm] -n

  1. the beliefs and practices of the cult of the zombi

zon·al ['zō-nᵊl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, affecting, or having the form of a zone
    • a zonal boundary
  2. of, relating to, or being a soil or a major soil group marked by well-developed characteristics that are determined primarily by the action of climate and organisms (as vegetation)

zo·na pel·lu·ci·da [,zō-nə-pə-'lü-sə-də, -pel-'yü-] -n

  1. the transparent more or less elastic noncellular outer layer or envelope of a mammalian ovum that is composed of glycoproteins

zo·na·tion [zō-'nā-shən] -n

  1. structure or arrangement in zones
  2. distribution of kinds of organisms in biogeographic zones

zone ['zōn] -n

  1. any of five great divisions of the earth's surface with respect to latitude and temperature
  2. a portion of the surface of a sphere included between two parallel planes
  3. girdle, belt
  4. an encircling anatomical structure
  5. a subdivision of a biogeographic region that supports a similar fauna and flora throughout its extent
  6. such a zone dominated by a particular life form
  7. a distinctive belt, layer, or series of layers of earth materials (as rock)
  8. a region or area set off as distinct from surrounding or adjoining parts
  9. : one of the sections of an area or territory created for a particular purpose: as
  10. a zoned section of a city
  11. any of the eight concentric bands of territory centered on a given postal shipment point designated as a distance bracket for U.S. parcel post to which mail is charged at a single rate
  12. a distance within which the same fare is charged by a common carrier
  13. an area on a field of play
  14. a stretch of roadway or a space in which certain traffic regulations are in force
  15. zone defense
  16. a temporary state of heightened concentration experienced by a performing athlete that enables peak performance
    • players in the zone
  17. to surround with a zone : encircle
  18. to arrange in or mark off into zones
  19. to partition (a city, borough, or township) by ordinance into sections reserved for different purposes (as residence or business)
  20. zonal
  21. of, relating to, or occurring in a zone defense
    • a zone press
    • a zone blitz

zone defense -n

  1. a system of defense (as in basketball or football) in which each player guards an assigned area rather than a specified opponent

zone out -vi

  1. to become oblivious to one's surroundings esp. in order to relax
    • zone out in front of the TV

zone refining -n, adj

  1. a technique for the purification of a crystalline material and esp. a metal in which a molten region travels through the material to be refined, picks up impurities at its advancing edge, and then allows the purified part to recrystallize at its opposite edge called also zone melting

Zon·ian ['zō-nē-ən, -nyən] -n

  1. a U.S. citizen living in the Panama Canal Zone

zonk ['zäŋk, 'zȯŋk] -vb

  1. stun, stupefy
  2. strike, zap often used with out
  3. to pass out from or as if from alcohol or a drug often used with out

zonked ['zäŋkt, 'zȯŋ(k)t] -adj

  1. stupefied by or as if by alcohol or a drug

zonkedout [-'au̇t] -adj

  1. zonked

Zon·ti·an ['zän-tē-ən] -n

  1. a member of a service club made up of executive women each of whom is a sole representative of one business or profession in a community

zoo ['zü] -n

  1. a garden or park where wild animals are kept for exhibition
  2. a collection of living animals usu. for public display
  3. a place, situation, or group marked by crowding, confusion, or unrestrained behavior
    • the convention was a zoo

zo·oe·ci·um [zō-'ē-shē-əm] -n

  1. a sac or chamber secreted and lived in by a bryozoan zooid

zoo·gen·ic [,zō-ə-'je-nik] -adj

  1. caused by or associated with animals or their activities
    • zoogenic humus

zoo·ge·og·ra·phy [,zō-ə-jē-'ä-grə-fē] -n, adj, adv

  1. a branch of biogeography concerned with the geographic distribution of animals and esp. with the determination of the areas characterized by specific groups of animals and the study of the causes and significance of such groups

zo·oid ['zō-,ȯid] -n

  1. one of the asexually produced individuals of a compound organism (as a bryozoan, hydroid, or coral colony)

zoo·keep·er ['zü-,kē-pər] -n

  1. one who maintains or cares for animals in a zoo

zooks ['zu̇ks] -interj

  1. used as a mild oath

zool -abbr

  1. zoological; zoology

zo·ol·a·try [zō-'ä-lə-trē, zə-'wä-] -n

  1. animal worship

zoo·log·i·cal [,zō-ə-'lä-ji-kəl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or concerned with zoology
  2. of, relating to, or affecting lower animals often as distinguished from humans

zoological garden -n

  1. zoo

zo·ol·o·gy [zō-'ä-lə-jē, zə-'wä-] -n

  1. a branch of biology concerned with the classification and the properties and vital phenomena of animals
  2. animal life (as of a region) : fauna
  3. the properties and vital phenomena exhibited by an animal, animal type, or group

zoom ['züm] -vb

  1. to move with a loud low hum or buzz
  2. to go speedily : zip
    • cars zoom ing by on the highway
  3. to climb for a short time at an angle greater than that which can be maintained in steady flight so that the machine is carried upward at the expense of stored kinetic energy
  4. to focus a camera or microscope on an object using a zoom lens so that the object's apparent distance from the observer changes often used with in or out
  5. focus, zero used with in
    • trying to zoom in on the cause of these problems
  6. to increase sharply
    • retail sales zoom ed
  7. to cause to zoom
  8. an act or process of zooming
  9. a sharp upward movement
  10. an image created by zooming
  11. a zooming sound
  12. a means of producing an enlarged image (as in a camera)
  13. zoom lens

zoom lens -n

  1. a lens (as of a camera or projector) in which the image size can be varied continuously while the image remains in focus

zoo·mor·phic [,zō-ə-'mȯr-fik] -adj, n

  1. having the form of an animal
  2. of, relating to, or being a deity conceived of in animal form or with animal attributes

zoo·no·sis [zō-'ä-nə-səs, ,zō-ə-'nō-səs] -n, adj

  1. a disease communicable from animals to humans under natural conditions

zoo·phil·ic [,zō-ə-'fi-lik] -adj

  1. having an attraction to or preference for animals
  2. preferring animals to humans as a source of food

zoo·phyte ['zō-ə-,fīt] -n

  1. an invertebrate animal (as a coral or sponge) more or less resembling a plant in appearance or mode of growth

zoo·plank·ter ['zō-ə-,plaŋ(k)-tər] -n

  1. a planktonic animal

zoo·plank·ton [,zō-ə-'plaŋ(k)-tən, -,tän] -n, adj

  1. plankton composed of animals

zoo·spo·ran·gi·um [,zō-ə-spə-'ran-jē-əm] -n

  1. a spore case or sporangium bearing zoospores

zoo·spore ['zō-ə-,spȯr] -n, adj

  1. an independently motile spore
  2. a motile usu. naked and flagellated asexual spore esp. of an alga or lower fungus

zoo·tech·ni·cal [,zō-ə-'tek-ni-kəl] -adj, n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. of or relating to the technology of animal husbandry

zoot suit ['züt-] -n

  1. a suit of extreme cut typically consisting of a thigh-length jacket with wide padded shoulders and peg pants with narrow cuffs

zooty ['zü-tē] -adj

  1. typical of a zoot-suiter : flashy in manner or style
    • a zooty haircut

zo·o·xan·thel·la [,zō-ə-zan-'the-lə] -n

  1. any of various symbiotic dinoflagellates that live within the cells of other organisms (as reef-building coral polyps)

zo·ri ['zȯr-ē] -n

  1. a flat thonged sandal usu. made of straw, cloth, leather, or rubber

Zorn's lemma ['zȯrnz-, 'tsȯrnz-] -n

  1. a lemma in set theory: if a set S is partially ordered and if each subset for which every pair of elements is related by exactly one of the relationships less than, equal to, or greater than has an upper bound in S, then S contains at least one element for which there is no greater element in S

Zo·ro·as·tri·an·ism [,zȯr-ə-'was-trē-ə-,ni-zəm] -n, adj or n

  1. a Persian religion founded in the sixth century b.c.by the prophet Zoroaster, promulgated in the Avesta, and characterized by worship of a supreme god Ahura Mazda who requires good deeds for help in his cosmic struggle against the evil spirit Ahriman

zos·ter ['zäs-tər] -n

  1. shingles

Zou·ave [zü-'äv] -n

  1. a member of a French infantry unit orig. composed of Algerians wearing a brilliant uniform and conducting a quick spirited drill
  2. a member of a military unit adopting the dress and drill of the Zouaves

zouk ['zük] -n

  1. a form of French West Indian music blending African rhythms, reggae, calypso, and electronic dance music

zounds ['zau̇n(d)z, 'zün(d)z, 'zwau̇n(d)z, 'zwün(d)z] -interj

  1. used as a mild oath

zow·ie ['zau̇-ē] -interj

  1. used to express astonishment or admiration esp. in response to something sudden or speedy

zoy·sia ['zȯi-shə, -zhə, -sē-ə, -zē-ə] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Zoysia) of creeping perennial grasses of southeastern Asia and New Zealand having fine wiry leaves and including some suitable for lawn grasses esp. in warm regions