zoocytium, n.

zoocytium
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zoocytium_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2017

# zoocytiumnoun

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zoocytium mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun zoocytium. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

### How is the noun zoocytium pronounced?

#### British English

/ˌzuː(ə)ˈsɪtiəm/
zoo-uh-SIT-ee-uhm
/ˌzəʊəˈsɪtiəm/
zoh-uh-SIT-ee-uhm

#### U.S. English

/ˌzu(ə)ˈsɪʃ(i)əm/
zoo-uh-SISH-ee-uhm
/ˌzoʊəˈsɪʃ(i)əm/
zoh-uh-SISH-ee-uhm

### Where does the noun zoocytium come from?

Earliest known use

1880s

The earliest known use of the noun zoocytium is in the 1880s.

OED's earliest evidence for zoocytium is from around 1880–1, in the writing of William Saville-Kent, marine biologist.

zoocytium is formed within English, by compounding.

Etymons: zoo- comb. form, syncytium n.

### Nearby entries

1. zoocentric, adj. 1882–
2. zoochemical, adj. & n. 1844–
3. zoochemistry, n. 1835–
4. zoochlorella, n. 1882–
5. zoochore, n. 1904–
6. zoochorous, adj. 1904–
7. zoochory, n. 1921–
8. zoo-crazy, adj. 1938–
9. zoocultural, adj. 1899–
10. zooculture, n. 1873–
11. zoocytium, n.1880–
12. zoodendrium, n. 1880–
13. Zoodikers, int. 1749–98
14. zoodynamic, adj.?1819–
15. zoodynamics, n. 1888–
16. zooecial, adj. 1873–
17. zooecium, n. 1871–
18. zooerythrin, n. 1871–
19. zooflagellate, n. & adj. 1911–
20. zooful, n. 1914–
21. zoofulvin, n. 1871–

## Etymology

### Summary

Formed within English, by compounding.
< zoo- comb. form + ‑cytium (in syncytium n.).

## Meaning & use

Zoology. Now historical and rare.

1. 1880–
   The outer support sheath or matrix of certain colonial protists.
   1. 1880–1

      > Spongomonas... Animalcules..living in social colonies, and forming by excretion a common domicile, which takes the form of a..gelatinous or semi-granular zoocytium, within which they remain constantly immersed.

      W. Saville-Kent, Manual of Infusoria vol. I. 286
   2. 1892

      > Each zoocytium being composed of about six hundred zooids.

      14th Annual Rep. State Board Health Connecticut 1891 397
   3. 1906

      > The ‘zoocytia’ of several individuals may sometimes be united.

      Proceedings Davenport (Iowa) Acad. Science vol. 11 89
   4. 2015

      > Cells were embedded..in a common mucilaginous matrix or ‘zoocytium’ that was a transparent film-like expansion.

      B. S. C. Leadbeater, Choanoflagellates i. 12/2
   animals historical

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˌzuː(ə)ˈsɪtiəm/
zoo-uh-SIT-ee-uhm
/ˌzəʊəˈsɪtiəm/
zoh-uh-SIT-ee-uhm

### U.S. English

/ˌzu(ə)ˈsɪʃ(i)əm/
zoo-uh-SISH-ee-uhm
/ˌzoʊəˈsɪʃ(i)əm/
zoh-uh-SISH-ee-uhm

###
Plural: zoocytia

### British English

/ˌzuː(ə)ˈsɪtiə/
zoo-uh-SIT-ee-uh
/ˌzəʊəˈsɪtiə/
zoh-uh-SIT-ee-uh

### U.S. English

/ˌzu(ə)ˈsɪʃ(i)ə/
zoo-uh-SISH-ee-uh
/ˌzoʊəˈsɪʃ(i)ə/
zoh-uh-SISH-ee-uh

####

##### 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

## Forms

### Inflections

Plural: zoocytia ( British English /ˌzuː(ə)ˈsɪtiə/ (zoo-uh-SIT-ee-uh) , /ˌzəʊəˈsɪtiə/ (zoh-uh-SIT-ee-uh) , U.S. English /ˌzu(ə)ˈsɪʃ(i)ə/ (zoo-uh-SISH-ee-uh) , /ˌzoʊəˈsɪʃ(i)ə/ (zoh-uh-SISH-ee-uh) )

### Variant forms

1. 1800s
   zoöcytium
2. 1800s–
   zoocytium

Originally published as part of the entry for zoo-, comb. form

zoocytium, n. was revised in June 2017.

zoocytium, n. was last modified in July 2023.