'zoomorphise' originates from Greek, specifically the words 'zōon' and 'morphē', where 'zōon' meant 'animal' and 'morphē' meant 'form'.

'zoomorphise' was formed in English by combining Greek-derived elements found in New Latin or Modern coinages (e.g. 'zoomorph-' as in 'zoomorphism') and adding the English verb-forming suffix '-ise', producing the modern English 'zoomorphise'.

Initially it referred simply to the idea or practice of giving animal form or attributes; over time it has been used more broadly in art, literature, and criticism to mean representing or styling things with animal characteristics.