*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of zoo-

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- Proto-Indo-European *gʷyéh₃-w-os Proto-Hellenic *d͏̌ōwós Ancient Greek ζωός (zōós) Proto-Indo-European *-yóm Proto-Hellenic Ancient Greek -ῐον (-ĭon) Ancient Greek ζώῐ̈ον (zṓĭ̈

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
prefix

animal

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- Proto-Indo-European *gʷyéh₃-w-os Proto-Hellenic *d͏̌ōwós Ancient Greek ζωός (zōós) Proto-Indo-European *-yóm Proto-Hellenic Ancient Greek -ῐον (-ĭon) Ancient Greek ζώῐ̈ον (zṓĭ̈on) Ancient Greek ζῷον (zōîon)der. English zoo- From (combining form of) Ancient Greek ζῷον (zōîon, “animal”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "grc:ζῷον",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃-\nProto-Indo-European *gʷyéh₃-w-os\nProto-Hellenic *d͏̌ōwós\nAncient Greek ζωός (zōós)\nProto-Indo-European *-yóm\nProto-Hellenic\nAncient Greek -ῐον (-ĭon)\nAncient Greek ζώῐ̈ον (zṓĭ̈on)\nAncient Greek ζῷον (zōîon)der.\nEnglish zoo-\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*gʷyéh₃-w-os\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*gʷeyh₃-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Hellenic\", \"term\" : \"*ďōwós\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"grk-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"ζωός\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Hellenic\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-yóm\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang\" : \"grk-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"-ῐον\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"ζώῐ̈ον\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"ζῷον\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"zoo-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"zoo-\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "ζῷον",
        "t": "animal"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek ζῷον (zōîon, “animal”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "grc:ζῷον",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃-\nProto-Indo-European *gʷyéh₃-w-os\nProto-Hellenic *d͏̌ōwós\nAncient Greek ζωός (zōós)\nProto-Indo-European *-yóm\nProto-Hellenic\nAncient Greek -ῐον (-ĭon)\nAncient Greek ζώῐ̈ον (zṓĭ̈on)\nAncient Greek ζῷον (zōîon)der.\nEnglish zoo-"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*gʷeyh₃-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/gʷeyh₃-"
    ],
    [
      "*d͏̌ōwós",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Hellenic/d͏̌ōwós"
    ],
    [
      "ζωός",
      "ζωός#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "*-yóm",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-yóm"
    ],
    [
      "-ῐον",
      "-ιον#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "ζώῐ̈ον",
      "ζώϊον#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "ζῷον",
      "ζῷον#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "ζῷον",
      "ζῷον#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "animal"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "9ed1bca4106edceee8d1dce6647d0707a50b593fc778d16a79093875e01e77c2",
      "rawRecordSha256": "14005f2731804d837ab612e63f6bcc255224cabc14b31c8a0694a3368e242e83",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 169878
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for zoo- →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-em9vLQ