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zo-
- variant of zoo- before a vowel:
zooid.
zo
1/ zəʊ /
noun
- a Tibetan breed of cattle, developed by crossing the yak with common cattle
zo-
2combining_form
- a variant (before a vowel) of zoo-
Word History and Origins
Origin of zo-1
Example Sentences
So who was the woman who went by the name of Zo, and what inspired her to acts of such defiance and bravery?
Zo soon moved into a hotel in Piccadilly and joined up with the Polish authorities, who were bemused by the arrival of someone who had gained legendary status - but was also a woman.
Zo was determined to return to the fight in her homeland, and joining up with Poland's elite paratrooper unit in Britain - known as the Cichociemni or Silent Unseen - made this possible.
During the war, several of the UK's stately homes were requisitioned as training camps and Zo was sent to Audley End House, in Essex, to brief the troops about how to remain unnoticed in occupied Poland.
Back on home soil, Zo's underground work continued but it would be her influence during the Warsaw Uprising - a rebellion launched against the Nazis on 1 August 1944 - that proved most significant.
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Words That Use zo-
What does zo- mean?
The combining form zo– is used like a prefix meaning “living being” or “animal.” It is very occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology.
The form zo– comes from Greek zôion, meaning “animal.” The word zoo also ultimately comes from this Greek root. Zoo is shortened from zoological garden.
What are variants of zo-?
The form zo– is a variant of zoo–, which loses its –o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.
When combined as a suffix, zo– becomes –zoa or –zoon, as in protozoa or ectozoon. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for zoo-, –zoa, and –zoon.
Examples of zo-
One example of a scientific term that uses the form zo– is zooid, “any organic body or cell capable of spontaneous movement and of an existence more or less apart from or independent of the parent organism.”
The zo– part of the word means “animal,” as we have seen. The –oid portion of the word means “resembling” and “like.” Zooid literally translates to “animal-like.”
What are some words that use the combining form zo-?
What are some other forms that zo– may be commonly confused with?
Not every word that begins with the exact letters zoo– or zo-, such as zoom or zooty, is necessarily using either combining form to denote “animal.” Learn why zooty means “flamboyant” at our entry for the word.
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