zoophyte
/ˈzəʊəfaɪt/ noun
Forms zoophytes zoophite
- noun (biology, historical) An animal thought to have the characteristics of a plant, later specifically an invertebrate of the (former) group Zoophyta, comprising sponges, corals and sea anemones.
- noun (biology, historical) A plant believed to have the characteristics of an animal, especially a sensitive plant or vegetable lamb.
Etymology
From zoo- + -phyte, after Middle French zoophyte; later reinforced by scientific Latin Zoophyta.
From zoö- + -phyte.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [F. zoophyte, Gr. Zodiac, and Be, v. i.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “zoophyte”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details