zo- -comb form
- animal : animal kingdom or kind
- motile
zo·an·thar·i·an [,zō-ən-'ther-ē-ən] -n, adj
- 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
- the public square of a Mexican city or town : plaza
zo·di·ac ['zō-dē-,ak] -n, adj
- 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
- a figure representing the signs of the zodiac and their symbols
- a cyclic course
- a zodiac of feasts and fasts -- R. W. Emerson
zodiacal light -n
- a diffuse glow seen in the west after twilight and in the east before dawn
zo·ea [zō-'ē-ə] -n
- 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)
- having a full rounded figure : pleasingly plump
zois·ite ['zȯi-,sīt] -n
- an orthorhombic mineral that consists of a basic silicate of calcium and aluminum and is related to epidote
zom·bie ['zäm-bē] -n, adj
- the supernatural power that according to voodoo belief may enter into and reanimate a dead body
- 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
- a person held to resemble the so-called walking dead
- automaton
- a person markedly strange in appearance or behavior
- a mixed drink made of several kinds of rum, liqueur, and fruit juice
zom·bi·fy ['zäm-bə-,fī] -vt, n
- to turn (an active alert person) into a zombie
zom·bi·ism [-bē-,i-zəm] -n
- the beliefs and practices of the cult of the zombi
zon·al ['zō-nᵊl] -adj, adv
- of, relating to, affecting, or having the form of a zone
- 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
- 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
- structure or arrangement in zones
- distribution of kinds of organisms in biogeographic zones
zone ['zōn] -n
- any of five great divisions of the earth's surface with respect to latitude and temperature
- a portion of the surface of a sphere included between two parallel planes
- girdle, belt
- an encircling anatomical structure
- a subdivision of a biogeographic region that supports a similar fauna and flora throughout its extent
- such a zone dominated by a particular life form
- a distinctive belt, layer, or series of layers of earth materials (as rock)
- a region or area set off as distinct from surrounding or adjoining parts
- : one of the sections of an area or territory created for a particular purpose: as
- a zoned section of a city
- 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
- a distance within which the same fare is charged by a common carrier
- an area on a field of play
- a stretch of roadway or a space in which certain traffic regulations are in force
- zone defense
- a temporary state of heightened concentration experienced by a performing athlete that enables peak performance
- to surround with a zone : encircle
- to arrange in or mark off into zones
- to partition (a city, borough, or township) by ordinance into sections reserved for different purposes (as residence or business)
- zonal
- of, relating to, or occurring in a zone defense
zone defense -n
- 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
- to become oblivious to one's surroundings esp. in order to relax
- zone out in front of the TV
zone refining -n, adj
- 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
- a U.S. citizen living in the Panama Canal Zone
zonk ['zäŋk, 'zȯŋk] -vb
- stun, stupefy
- strike, zap often used with out
- to pass out from or as if from alcohol or a drug often used with out
zonked ['zäŋkt, 'zȯŋ(k)t] -adj
- stupefied by or as if by alcohol or a drug
zonkedout [-'au̇t] -adj
- zonked
Zon·ti·an ['zän-tē-ən] -n
- 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
- a garden or park where wild animals are kept for exhibition
- a collection of living animals usu. for public display
- a place, situation, or group marked by crowding, confusion, or unrestrained behavior
zo·oe·ci·um [zō-'ē-shē-əm] -n
- a sac or chamber secreted and lived in by a bryozoan zooid
zoo·gen·ic [,zō-ə-'je-nik] -adj
- caused by or associated with animals or their activities
zoo·ge·og·ra·phy [,zō-ə-jē-'ä-grə-fē] -n, adj, adv
- 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
- one of the asexually produced individuals of a compound organism (as a bryozoan, hydroid, or coral colony)
zoo·keep·er ['zü-,kē-pər] -n
- one who maintains or cares for animals in a zoo
zooks ['zu̇ks] -interj
- used as a mild oath
zool -abbr
- zoological; zoology
zo·ol·a·try [zō-'ä-lə-trē, zə-'wä-] -n
- animal worship
zoo·log·i·cal [,zō-ə-'lä-ji-kəl] -adj, adv
- of, relating to, or concerned with zoology
- of, relating to, or affecting lower animals often as distinguished from humans
zoological garden -n
- zoo
zo·ol·o·gy [zō-'ä-lə-jē, zə-'wä-] -n
- a branch of biology concerned with the classification and the properties and vital phenomena of animals
- animal life (as of a region) : fauna
- the properties and vital phenomena exhibited by an animal, animal type, or group
zoom ['züm] -vb
- to move with a loud low hum or buzz
- to go speedily : zip
- cars zoom ing by on the highway
- 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
- 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
- focus, zero used with in
- trying to zoom in on the cause of these problems
- to increase sharply
- to cause to zoom
- an act or process of zooming
- a sharp upward movement
- an image created by zooming
- a zooming sound
- a means of producing an enlarged image (as in a camera)
- zoom lens
zoom lens -n
- 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
- having the form of an animal
- 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
- a disease communicable from animals to humans under natural conditions
zoo·phil·ic [,zō-ə-'fi-lik] -adj
- having an attraction to or preference for animals
- preferring animals to humans as a source of food
zoo·phyte ['zō-ə-,fīt] -n
- 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
- a planktonic animal
zoo·plank·ton [,zō-ə-'plaŋ(k)-tən, -,tän] -n, adj
- plankton composed of animals
zoo·spo·ran·gi·um [,zō-ə-spə-'ran-jē-əm] -n
- a spore case or sporangium bearing zoospores
zoo·spore ['zō-ə-,spȯr] -n, adj
- an independently motile spore
- 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
- of or relating to the technology of animal husbandry
zoot suit ['züt-] -n
- 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
- typical of a zoot-suiter : flashy in manner or style
zo·o·xan·thel·la [,zō-ə-zan-'the-lə] -n
- any of various symbiotic dinoflagellates that live within the cells of other organisms (as reef-building coral polyps)
zo·ri ['zȯr-ē] -n
- a flat thonged sandal usu. made of straw, cloth, leather, or rubber
Zorn's lemma ['zȯrnz-, 'tsȯrnz-] -n
- 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
- 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
- shingles
Zou·ave [zü-'äv] -n
- a member of a French infantry unit orig. composed of Algerians wearing a brilliant uniform and conducting a quick spirited drill
- a member of a military unit adopting the dress and drill of the Zouaves
zouk ['zük] -n
- 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
- used as a mild oath
zow·ie ['zau̇-ē] -interj
- used to express astonishment or admiration esp. in response to something sudden or speedy
zoy·sia ['zȯi-shə, -zhə, -sē-ə, -zē-ə] -n
- 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