autozooid
|au-to-zoo-id|
🇺🇸
/ˈɔːtoʊˌzuːɔɪd/
🇬🇧
/ˈɔːtəʊˌzuːɔɪd/
feeding individual in a colony
Etymology
'autozooid' originates from Greek elements used in New Latin/modern scientific English: the prefix 'auto-' from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self', and 'zooid' from Greek 'zōion' meaning 'animal' (via New Latin 'zooid').
'autozooid' was formed in scientific New Latin/modern English by combining the prefix 'auto-' with the noun-forming element 'zooid' (from Greek 'zōion') and entered technical biological usage in the 19th–20th centuries to name specialized individuals in colonies.
Initially composed of elements meaning 'self' + 'animal-like', the compound came to be used specifically for 'the feeding individual of a colonial animal' in biological terminology.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a feeding zooid (individual) in a colonial animal, especially in bryozoans and other colonial invertebrates; the nutritive or feeding unit of the colony.
In bryozoan colonies, each autozooid extends a lophophore to feed on suspended particles.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/29 18:52