zootrophy, n.

zootrophy
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zootrophy_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2017

# zootrophynoun

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zootrophy mean?

There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun zootrophy, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

zootrophy has developed meanings and uses in subjects including

agriculture (1870s) ecology (1930s)

### How is the noun zootrophy pronounced?

#### British English

/zuːˈɒtrəfi/
zoo-OT-ruh-fee
/zəʊˈɒtrəfi/
zoh-OT-ruh-fee

#### U.S. English

/zoʊˈɑtrəfi/
zoh-AH-truh-fee
/zuˈɑtrəfi/
zoo-AH-truh-fee

### Where does the noun zootrophy come from?

Earliest known use

1870s

The earliest known use of the noun zootrophy is in the 1870s.

OED's earliest evidence for zootrophy is from 1877, in the writing of George MacDonald, poet and novelist.

zootrophy is a borrowing from Greek.

Etymons: Greek ζῳοτροϕία.

### Nearby entries

1. zootheistic, adj. 1879–
2. zoothome, n. 1872–
3. zootic, adj. 1816–
4. zootokon, n. 1661
5. zootomic, adj. 1801–
6. zootomical, adj. 1799–
7. zootomically, adv. 1849–
8. zootomist, n. 1663–
9. zootomy, n. 1663–
10. zootoxin, n. 1906–
11. zootrophy, n.1877–
12. zoot suit, n. 1942–
13. zoot-suited, adj. 1942–
14. zoot-suiter, n. 1942–
15. zooty, adj. 1942–
16. zootype, n. 1883–
17. zootypic, adj. 1853–
18. zoowoman, n. 1930–
19. zooxanthella, n. 1882–
20. zooxanthellate, adj. & n. 1981–
21. zooxanthin, n. 1868–

## Etymology

### Summary

A borrowing from Greek.
Etymon: Greek ζῳοτροϕία.
Originally < ancient Greek ζῳοτροϕία feeding of animals < ζῳο- zoo- comb. form + ‑τροϕία ‑trophy comb. form.

In sense 2 directly < zoo- comb. form + ‑trophy comb. form.

## Meaning & use

1. 1.
   1877–1901
   † The practice of rearing or tending animals. Obsolete. rare.
   1. 1877

      > Pigs, which, with all her zootrophy, Clementina did not like.

      G. MacDonald, Marquis of Lossie vol. II. ix. 79
   2. 1901

      > We go in a good deal for Natural Sciences here, and I daresay Zootrophy will be included before long in the subjects for the Tripos.

      Cambridge Review 31 January 152/1
   agriculture
   1. rearing a1398–
      The action or practice of bringing a person, animal, or (occasionally) plant to maturity or to a certain stage of growth; the breeding and…
   2. nourishing 1615
      The action of nourish, v. (in various senses).
   3. conservation 1646–67
      The action or practice of taking care of and looking after domestic animals. Obsolete.
   4. zoosophy 1662–1848
      The knowledge or study of animals; spec. (a) animal husbandry; (b) the branch of biology concerned with animals and their development; zoology.
   5. culture 1744–
      The rearing or raising of certain animals, such as fish, oysters, bees, etc., or the production of natural animal products such as silk.
   6. cultivation 1791–
      The raising or improvement of animals, fish, etc., esp. for commercial purposes. Cf. culture, n. I.2b.
   7. zoogeny 1826–
      The process of animal reproduction and development; the origin or evolution of animals or animal species. Also: a theory, doctrine, or account of…
   8. zootechny 1841–
      The practice or activity of keeping domesticated or captive animals for any purpose; the science or technology of rearing, handling, and breeding…
   9. stock-keeping 1844–
   10. animal husbandry 1851–
       The branch of agriculture concerned with the breeding and rearing of livestock.
   11. ranching 1851–
       The rearing of cattle on a ranch; stockbreeding. Also: the farming of game, fish, etc., for commercial purposes.
   12. conditioning 1861–
       The act of bringing an animal, etc., into good condition.
   13. zootechnics 1863–
       = zootechny, n.
   14. zooculture 1873–
       The practice or activity of rearing and breeding domesticated or captive animals; cf. zootechny, n.
   15. zootrophy 1877–1901
       The practice of rearing or tending animals. Obsolete. rare.
   16. animaliculture 1879–
       The rearing of animals or livestock as a branch of industry or agriculture.
   17. mothering 1922–
       Agriculture (originally New Zealand). The pairing of a motherless lamb with a ewe whose lamb has died. Also: the pairing of a lamb with its mother…
   18. stockmanship 1959–
       The art of raising or looking after livestock.
   View in Historical Thesaurus
2. 2.
   1930–
   Biology. The condition of requiring material derived from living organisms, esp. animals, for nutrition; = heterotrophy n. 1c. Formerly also: the condition (in microorganisms) of growing in animal cells (now rare or disused).
   1. 1930

      > Among insects the theory of Anopheline zootrophy and the cases of Rhagoletis pomonella have already been mentioned.

      Biol. Rev. & Biol. Proc. Cambridge Philos. Society vol. 5 206
   2. 1946

      > 1. Schizomycetotrophy Growth only in bacterial cells. 2. Phytotrophy Growth only in plant cells. 3. Zootrophy Growth only in animal cells.

      Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology vol. 11 App. 302/2
   3. 1967

      > Zootrophy seems to have developed at least twice among euglenoid flagellates.

      Annual Review Microbiology vol. 21 32
   4. 1974

      > Saprotrophy must rank with photoautotrophy and zootrophy as one of the three broad ways of life.

      Mycologia vol. 66 12
   5. 1999

      > Each [trophic] level is characterized by associated and more or less exclusive processes which make up the regime:..(III) zootrophy (phytophagy or herbivory); (IV) zootrophy (carnivory or predation).

      Canadian Encyclopedia (Year 2000 edition) 725/2
   6. 2008

      > The next step, zootrophy, represents variations of the theme ‘bowel with gonads’.

      G. A. Zavarzin in N. Dobretsov et al., Biosphere Origin & Evolution 27
   ecology disused
   1. plasticity 1858–
      Biology. Adaptability of (part of) an organism to changes in its environment; spec. the ability to alter the neural connections of the brain as a…
   2. modification 1875–
      Biology. A non-heritable change produced in an organism in response to a particular environment.
   3. tolerance 1898–1979
      Forestry. The capacity of a tree to endure shade. More widely in Biology, the ability of any organism to withstand some particular environmental…
   4. autotrophy 1900–
      The state or condition of being an autotroph; autotrophic nutrition. Cf. autotrophic, adj. 1.
   5. heterotrophism 1900–
      = heterotrophy, n. 1c.
   6. sympatry 1904–
      The occurrence of sympatric species or forms.
   7. heterotrophy 1930–
      Biology. The state or quality of living as a heterotroph; heterotrophism.
   8. zootrophy 1930–
      Biology. The condition of requiring material derived from living organisms, esp. animals, for nutrition; = heterotrophy, n. 1c. Formerly also: the…
   9. chemoautotrophism 1943–
      = chemoautotrophy, n.
   10. chemolithotrophy 1947–
       A form of chemotrophic nutrition in which a simple inorganic compound is oxidized in the course of biosynthesis. Contrasted with chemoorganotrophy, n.
   11. chemoorganotrophy 1947–
       A form of chemotrophic nutrition in which biosynthesis requires the oxidation of one or more of a variety of organic compounds acting as electron…
   12. chemotrophy 1947–
       Any of various forms of nutrition in microorganisms in which energy is derived from the oxidation of simple organic or inorganic chemical…
   13. chemoautotrophy 1949–
       A form of chemotrophic nutrition in which energy derived from chemical reactions is used to synthesize complex organic compounds from carbon…
   14. prototrophy 1949–
       The state or condition of being a prototroph.
   15. auxotrophy 1953–
       The state or condition of being auxotrophic.
   16. photoautotrophy 1961–
       Photoautotrophic nutrition; the condition of being a photoautotroph.
   17. photoheterotrophy 1961–
       Photoheterotrophic nutrition; the condition of being a photoheterotroph.
   18. opportunism 1967–
       Ecology. The ability or activity of a species that exploits newly formed or previously unexploited habitats or niches. Cf. opportunistic, adj. 2.
   19. chemoheterotrophy 1972–
       A form of chemotrophic nutrition in which an organic substrate is required; spec. one in which simple organic molecules provide a source of carbon…
   20. chemolithoautotrophy 1976–
       A form of chemotrophic nutrition in which a simple inorganic compound is oxidized in the course of the synthesis of complex organic compounds from…
   21. psychrotolerance 1977–
       The property of being psychrotolerant.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/zuːˈɒtrəfi/
zoo-OT-ruh-fee
/zəʊˈɒtrəfi/
zoh-OT-ruh-fee

### U.S. English

/zoʊˈɑtrəfi/
zoh-AH-truh-fee
/zuˈɑtrəfi/
zoo-AH-truh-fee

####

##### 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

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

zootrophy, n. was revised in June 2017.

zootrophy, n. was last modified in July 2023.