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Zoo- (or zo-) derives from the Greek word zōion, meaning "animal," and -morph comes from the Greek morphē, meaning "form." These two forms combined to give us the adjective zoomorphic, which was first used in English to describe something that resembles an animal in 1872. English includes other words that were formed from zoo- or zo-, such as zoology (made with -logy, meaning "science"). We also have other words that were formed from -morph, such as pseudomorph, for a mineral having the outward form of another species. (The combining form pseud- or pseudo- means "false.")

Examples of zoomorphic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web There are hundreds of geometric and zoomorphic images in the area, which covers about 175 square miles, The Guardian reports. — Jessica Poitevien, Travel + Leisure, "An Ancient Image of an Enormous Lounging Cat Has Been Discovered in a Peruvian Desert," 20 Oct. 2020 Large, spiral conch shells, probably once home to ancient sea snails and now notched by hand at the apex to form a trumpet, are incised with images of warriors, hunters and the dead — as well as zoomorphic creatures that may well be crocodiles. — Christopher Knight, latimes.com, "Teotihuacan: An ancient Mexican city's remarkable art comes to life at LACMA," 18 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'zoomorphic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.