zoo

[zoo] /zu/

noun, plural zoos.

Also called zoological garden. a parklike area in which live animals are kept in cages or large enclosures for public exhibition.

Informal. a place, activity, or group marked by chaos or unrestrained behavior.

Origin

1840-50; first two syllables of zoological garden taken as one syllable

zoo-

a combining form meaning “living being,” “animal,” used in the formation of compound words:

zoometry; zooplankton.

Also, especially before a vowel, zo-.

Origin

combining form representing Greek zôion animal

Examples from the web for zoo

Their large size and fearsome reputation makes them popular zoo exhibits.
The hangars from the old airport are still in use as the elephant enclosure for the zoo.
It is a green paradise in the middle of the city, and it contains a small zoo.
When zoo scientists thought they had a new species they brought in dr.
One of the oldest crocodiles recorded died in a zoo in russia.
The forest zoo has a freerange animal section as well as a more traditional zoo.
The region has also a small zoo, darling downs zoo near clifton.

British Dictionary definitions for zoo

zoo

/zuː/

noun (pl) zoos

a place where live animals are kept, studied, bred, and exhibited to the public Formal term zoological garden

Word Origin

C19: shortened from zoological gardens (originally applied to those in London)

zoo-

combining form

indicating animals: zooplankton

Word Origin

from Greek zōion animal

Word Origin and History for zoo

c.1847, short for Zoological Gardens of the London Zoological Society, established 1828 in Regent's Park to house the society's collection of wild animals. From comb. form of Greek zoion "an animal," literally "a living being," from PIE root *gwei- "to live, life" (cf. Greek bios "life," Old English cwicu "living;" see bio-). Slang meaning "crowded and chaotic place" first recorded 1935.

zoo in Medicine

zoo- or zo-
pref.
Animal; animal kingdom: zoonosis.

Slang definitions & phrases for zoo

zoo

noun

A crowded and chaotic place: Opening Day is always a zoo/ The emergency room at Bellevue was usually a zoo (1935+)

zoo in Technology

Berkeley Yacc

tool, file format
A data compression program and format by Rahul Dhesi. Zoo is reported to use the same Lempel Ziv algorithm as LHA. It is available for many platforms and source is available. .zoo archives are handled by many other PC archiving programs.
Version 2.10 was released in 1989. Search the web for zoo210 to obtain an executable.
Description (https://sources.isc.org/archiver/zoo2.txt).
(2000-07-05)

Related Abbreviations for zoo

zoo

zoological garden

Idioms and Phrases with zoo

zoo

see: it's a zoo