Etymology

zoo-

Today it means: animal Full definition →

Ancient Greek ζῷον (zōîon) ← Proto-Hellenic *d͏̌ōwós ← Proto-Indo-European *gʷyéh₃-w-os
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*gʷeyh₃-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*gʷyéh₃-w-os
  3. Proto-Hellenic*d͏̌ōwós
  4. Ancient Greekζωός (zōós)
  5. Ancient Greekζώῐ̈ον (zṓĭ̈on)
  6. Ancient Greekζῷον (zōîon)
  7. English todayzoo-

From (combining form of) Ancient Greek ζῷον (zōîon, “animal”).

Words from the same roots

Ancient Greekζῷον all →

zoologyzoonzoonosiszooecium-zoonzoophagazoothomezooticzooxanthella

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.