zoo, n.

zoo
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zoo_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2017

# zoonoun

## Earlier version

- zoo in OED Second Edition (1989)

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zoo mean?

There are four meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun zoo. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

### How common is the noun zoo?

About 3occurrences per million words in modern written English

1830 | 0.05
1840 | 0.09
1850 | 0.12
1860 | 0.15
1870 | 0.15
1880 | 0.16
1890 | 0.19
1900 | 0.23
1910 | 0.41
1920 | 0.77
1930 | 1.2
1940 | 1.6
1950 | 1.8
1960 | 2.0
1970 | 2.2
1980 | 2.7
1990 | 3.0
2000 | 3.2
2010 | 3.1

### How is the noun zoo pronounced?

#### British English

/zuː/
zoo

#### U.S. English

/zu/
zoo

### Where does the noun zoo come from?

Earliest known use

1830s

The earliest known use of the noun zoo is in the 1830s.

OED's earliest evidence for zoo is from 1835, in New Monthly Magazine.

zoo is formed within English, by clipping or shortening.

Etymons: zoological garden n.

### Nearby entries

1. zonking, adj. 1958–
2. zonky, adj. 1972–
3. zono-, comb. form
4. zonochlorite, n. 1872–
5. zonociliate, adj. 1885–
6. zonoplacental, adj. 1879–
7. zonular, adj. 1835–
8. zonule, n. 1828–
9. zonulet, n. 1648
10. zonure, n. 1883–
11. zoo, n.1835–
12. zoo-, comb. form
13. zooarchaeological, adj. 1962–
14. zooarchaeologist, n. 1957–
15. zooarchaeology, n. 1967–
16. zoobenthos, n. 1923–
17. zoocarp, n. 1824–88
18. zoocaulon, n. 1881–
19. zoocentric, adj. 1882–
20. zoochemical, adj. & n. 1844–
21. zoochemistry, n. 1835–

## Etymology

### Summary

Formed within English, by clipping or shortening.
Etymon: zoological garden n.
Shortened < zoological garden n.

Compare zoological n.

## Meaning & use

1. 1. 1.a.
      1835–
      Originally colloquial. A park or similar place in which wild animals are kept in enclosures for study, conservation, or display to the public. Cf. zoological garden n.
      Apparently first applied to the gardens of the Zoological Society of London at Regent's Park, which opened in 1828.
      The reference in quot. 1835 is to a fictional establishment, but the author states, ‘Getting up something of the same sort in London, I understand. Lost no time in taking our hint, eh..?’, with humorous allusion to the Regent's Park Zoo.
      Over time, the nature of the enclosures in which animals are kept in zoos has changed, and there is an increasing tendency to try to provide animals with greater space to roam, and habitats more closely resembling their natural terrain. In some cases this has led to establishments no longer being designated zoos: cf. safari park n., wildlife park n.
      1. 1835

         > Our Zoo is just between the Vale of Health and the new burying-ground.

         New Monthly Magazine August 444
      2. c1847

         > We treated the Clifton Zoo much too contemptuously.

         T. B. Macaulay in Life & Letters (1878) vol. II. 216
      3. 1867

         > Everybody who is anybody goes on Sundays to the Zoo.

         Punch 29 June 264/2
      4. 1906

         > A nice example of Geoffroy's Cat may now be seen in the Small Mammals' House at the Zoo.

         Westminster Gazette 30 April 4/3
      5. 1940

         > I took her to the Central Park zoo, which she has always loved.

         J. Thurber, Letter April (2002) 329
      6. 1964

         > A private zoo on Jersey in the Channel islands, which holds a collection of birds, animals and reptiles that civilization elsewhere threatens with extinction.

         Science News Letter 25 January 60/2
      7. 2007

         > After you've taken them to the zoo, to football matches, to a pizza house, where do you go?

         Independent 21 July 29/2
      colloquial and slang
      1. vivary a1631–
         = vivarium, n. 2. Also figurative. Now rare or Obsolete.
      2. vivarium c1660–
         A place or enclosure, a piece of ground or stretch of water, specially adapted or prepared for the keeping of living animals under their normal…
      3. menagerie 1676–
         A collection of wild animals in cages or enclosures, esp. one kept for exhibition, as in a zoo, etc. Also: a place or building in which such a…
      4. zoological garden 1827–
         Frequently with second element in plural. A park or similar place in which wild animals are kept in enclosures for study, conservation, or display…
      5. zoological 1831–90
         Short for zoological garden, n.; spec. that of the Zoological Society of London at Regent's Park. Cf. zoo, n. 1a. Obsolete.
      6. zoo 1835–
         Originally colloquial. A park or similar place in which wild animals are kept in enclosures for study, conservation, or display to the public. Cf. z…
      7. park 1887–
         A large enclosed area of land used to accommodate wild animals in captivity. Frequently with modifying word.
      8. paradise 1900–
         A park, esp. one enclosing wild animals such as those constructed by rulers of the Ancient Near East.
      9. petting zoo 1965–
         A children's zoo or special zoological display at which visitors may pet the animals.
      View in Historical Thesaurus
   2. 1.b.
      1910–
      A collection of animals of the sort maintained at such a location; (hence) any group of animals considered as particularly large or varied. Also figurative.
      1. 1910

         > He has been purchasing a whole ‘zoo’ of animals to be placed in Rock Springs park for the season.

         Evening Review (E. Liverpool, Ohio) 23 May 1/7
      2. 1928

         > Dolls that walk, talk, go to sleep and stand alone—a whole zoo of animals—mechanical toys of every kind.

         Helena (Montana) Independent 22 November 5/6 (advertisement)
      3. 1953

         > The quarter inch of cortex has created..a dreadful zoo of verbal monsters.

         S. Chase, Power of Words i. i. 9
      4. 1993

         > A hull that is left in the water all year, especially in warm waters, attracts a living zoo of barnacles, tubeworms, freshwater zebra mussels and other wildlife.

         New Scientist 22 May 21/1
      5. 2001

         > There are five children and a zoo of animals.

         Veranda July 116/3
      animals
      1. happy family 1824–
         A collection of diverse animals (or fish) living together in harmony in one cage (or tank, etc.), esp. one exhibited as a curiosity. Also in…
      2. zoo 1910–
         A collection of animals of the sort maintained at such a location; (hence) any group of animals considered as particularly large or varied. Also figur…
      View in Historical Thesaurus
2. 2.
   In extended use.
   1. 2.a.
      1885–
      Chiefly used somewhat contemptuously. A place where a large and diverse group of people assembles or can be found; a diverse group of this sort. Also: a place or situation considered to resemble a zoo in being noisy, chaotic, etc.
      1. 1885

         > It is the human ‘zoo’ of Coney Island.

         New York World 23 August 20/4
      2. 1915

         > I was the principal object of attraction at the moment in Violet's zoo—I mean her convalescent home.

         McClure's Magazine December 10/2
      3. 1917

         > I was at a gathering of a curious zoo of people known as the Omega Club, and was sitting on a mat..discussing psychical research with William Butler Yeats.

         T. S. Eliot, Letter 23 March (1988) vol. I. 169
      4. 1929

         > The country is shown to be a veritable ‘Zoo,’ and numerous shooting incidents are described.

         Journal Royal Inst. International Affairs vol. 8 656
      5. 1935

         > He passed through Oxford, gathering little but materials for his future monody on a moribund zoo of dons.

         E. Blunden, Edward Gibbon & his Age 14
      6. 1987

         > ‘There's a party upstairs,’ I said. ‘It's a kind of zoo, but...’

         C. Willis, Lincoln's Dreams (1991) i. 11
      7. 2008

         > Without some kind of obedience, 40 primary students would quickly turn the classroom into a zoo.

         South China Morning Post (Nexis) 19 January 4
      1. forum 1735–
         As the place of public discussion; hence figurative.
      2. venue 1857–
         An appointed place of meeting, esp. for a match or competition.
      3. folk-stead 1876–
         (See quot. 1876).
      4. human zoo 1881–
         a. Human society, or a social community, likened to a zoo, esp. with regard to its diversity, its confined cohabitation, or to behaviour considered…
      5. zoo 1885–
         In extended use. Chiefly used somewhat contemptuously. A place where a large and diverse group of people assembles or can be found; a diverse…
      6. assembly-place 1936–
         A place in which an assembly is held; spec. = assembly-ground, n.
      7. lapa 1982–
         In southern African tourist resorts, game reserves, etc.: an open-sided structure, typically consisting of a thatched roof supported by pillars, used…
      View in Historical Thesaurus
      1. mob 1688–
         colloquial. A large crowd or group of people; esp. a group of people sharing distinctive characteristics or a common identity or occupation. Also: a…
      2. human zoo 1881–
         a. Human society, or a social community, likened to a zoo, esp. with regard to its diversity, its confined cohabitation, or to behaviour considered…
      3. zoo 1885–
         In extended use. Chiefly used somewhat contemptuously. A place where a large and diverse group of people assembles or can be found; a diverse…
      View in Historical Thesaurus
   2. 2.b.
      1933–
      Any large and diverse body of things; a varied collection or assemblage.
      particle zoo: see particle n.
      1. 1933

         > Unlike many works on government, this book is a veritable zoo of lively examples and not at all a morgue for facts.

         Newsweek 26 August 32/1
      2. 1956

         > Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer..coined the term ‘sub-nuclear zoo’, to describe the particles which are the ‘atom's strange offspring’.

         Science News Letter 21 April 244/1
      3. 1969

         > A whole zoo of platitudes and high-flown circularities masquerading as general laws.

         Mind vol. 78 461
      4. 1990

         > By then, hundreds of quasars and quasarlike objects had been discovered, and the catalogues contained a whole zoo of objects with a confusing array of names.

         J. Gribbin & M. Rees, Cosmic Coincidences (1991) vi. 161
      5. 2004

         > Scott's ‘phrasal analysis’ reveals a veritable zoo of amphibrachs, amphimacers, and antibacchic feet.

         Modern Language Review vol. 99 281

## Pronunciation

### British English

/zuː/
zoo

### U.S. English

/zu/
zoo

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

##### Consonants

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

- gguy
- jjay
- yyore
- chchore
- khloch
- shshore
- ththaw
- dhthee
- zhbeige

##### Vowels

- atrap
- ahpalm
- airsquare
- arstart
- arrcarry (British only)
- awthought
- ayface
- a(ng)gratin
- edress
- eefleece
- eerdeer
- errmerry
- ikit
- ighpride
- irrmirror
- olot (British only)
- ohgoat
- oogoose
- oorcure
- orforce
- orrsorry (British only)
- owmouth
- oyvoice
- o(ng)salon
- ustrut
- uhletter
- urnurse
- urrhurry
- uufoot

## Frequency

zoo typically occurs about three times per million words in modern written English.

zoo is in frequency band 5, which contains words occurring between 1 and 10 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

### Frequency of zoo, n., 1830–2010

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.

The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.

For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.

Decade | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
1830 | 0.05
1840 | 0.09
1850 | 0.12
1860 | 0.15
1870 | 0.15
1880 | 0.16
1890 | 0.19
1900 | 0.23
1910 | 0.41
1920 | 0.77
1930 | 1.2
1940 | 1.6
1950 | 1.8
1960 | 2.0
1970 | 2.2
1980 | 2.7
1990 | 3.0
2000 | 3.2
2010 | 3.1

### Frequency of zoo, n., 2017–2024

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Modern frequency series are derived from a corpus of 20 billion words, covering the period from 2017 to the present. The corpus is mainly compiled from online news sources, and covers all major varieties of World English.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the corpus.

Period | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
2017 | 8.2
2018 | 8.1
2019 | 8.6
2020 | 9.1
2021 | 8.8
2022 | 8.1
2023 | 7.4
2024 | 7.4

## Compounds & derived words

Sort by

1. zooman, n. 1871–
   A person (esp. a man) who works in, manages, or…

1. human zoo, n. 1881–
   a. Human society, or a social community, likened…

1. zookeeper, n. 1886–
   A person responsible for taking care of the…

1. zooful, n. 1914–
   A quantity (of animals) that would fill a zoo…

1. zookeeping, n. 1929–
   The management of a zoo; the work of a zookeeper.

1. zoowoman, n. 1930–
   A woman who works in, manages, or is associated…

1. zoo-crazy, adj. 1938–
   Having a passionate enthusiasm for zoos.

1. particle zoo, n. 1964–
   The collection of all (types of) subatomic particles.

1. petting zoo, n. 1965–
   A children's zoo or special zoological display at…

1. C.1.
   1876–
   General attributive, as zoo animal, zoo collection, zoo director, etc.
   1. 1876

      > We have a large ‘zoo’ collection already secured. There are five of the North American eagles [etc.].

      New-York Times 29 June 7/1
   2. 1906

      > An African thumbless monkey is among the recent additions to the ‘Zoo’ menagerie.

      Westminster Gazette 24 December 4/1
   3. 1931

      > The okapi, a kind of giraffe, is the rarest zoo animal.

      Fortune August 12/3
   4. 1955

      > It is not yet known how the zoo budgerigars caught the disease.

      Times 16 August 4/2
   5. 1976

      > There were zoo programmes and the travelogues of Armand and Michaela Denis.

      A. Davis, Television 119
   6. 1984

      > Betsey's art career was the brainchild of zoo director Arthur Watson.

      G. Sandler, Baltimore Glimpses Revisited 33
   7. 1992

      > Mhorr gazelles are among the nearly 4,000 animals in 100 acres of one of the world's rarest zoo collections.

      Zoo Life Winter 100/1
   8. 2013

      > Handling zoo animals this way began in the nineteen-eighties.

      New Yorker 2 September 28/3
2. C.2.
   1. zooman, n. 1871–
      A person (esp. a man) who works in, manages, or…
   1. zookeeper, n. 1886–
      A person responsible for taking care of the…
   1. zookeeping, n. 1929–
      The management of a zoo; the work of a zookeeper.
   1. zoowoman, n. 1930–
      A woman who works in, manages, or is associated…
   1. zoo-crazy, adj. 1938–
      Having a passionate enthusiasm for zoos.

zoo, n. was revised in June 2017.

zoo, n. was last modified in December 2024.