Definition of
Zoo
- (noun, artifact) the facility where wild animals are housed for exhibition
via WordNet, Princeton University
Synonyms of Zoo
Alternate forms of Zoo
Hypernyms: facility, installation
Origin of the word 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 Gk. zoion "an animal," lit. "a living being," from PIE base *gwei- "to live, life" (cf. Gk. bios "life," O.E. cwicu "living;" see bio-). Slang meaning "crowded and chaoti… more
via Online Etymology Dictionary, ©2001 Douglas Harper