Main Entry: meta·zo·an

Pronunciation: \-ˈzō-ən\

Function: noun

: any of the animals that comprise the taxon Metazoa, that have the body when adult composed of numerous cells differentiated into tissues and organs and usually a digestive cavity lined with specialized cells, and that usually include the coelenterates and all higher animals but sometimes also include the sponges and mesozoans

—metazoan adjective