zooid
See also: zoöid
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From zoo- + -oid. Compare Ancient Greek ζῴδιον (zōídion, “animal”).
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈzəʊɔɪd/, /ˈzuːɔɪd/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Noun
zooid (plural zooids)
- (biology) An organic body or cell having locomotion, as a spermatic cell or spermatozoid.
- (zoology) An animal in one of its inferior or early stages of development, as one of the intermediate forms in alternate generation.
- (zoology) One of the individual animals in a composite group, as of Anthozoa, Hydrozoa, and Bryozoa; — sometimes restricted to those individuals in which the mouth and digestive organs are not developed.
Derived terms
- autozooid
- macrozooid
- microzooid
- polyzooid
Adjective
zooid (comparative more zooid, superlative most zooid)