zooxanthin, n.

zooxanthin
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zooxanthin_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2017

# zooxanthinnoun

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zooxanthin mean?

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

### How common is the noun zooxanthin?

Fewer than 0.01occurrences per million words in modern written English

1920 | 0.0007
1930 | 0.0006
1940 | 0.0005
1950 | 0.0005
1960 | 0.0003
1970 | 0.0001
1980 | 0.0001
1990 | 0.00009
2000 | 0.00005
2010 | 0.00004

### How is the noun zooxanthin pronounced?

#### British English

/ˌzuːə(ʊ)ˈzanθɪn/
zoo-oh-ZAN-thin
/ˌzəʊə(ʊ)ˈzanθɪn/
zoh-oh-ZAN-thin

#### U.S. English

/ˌzoʊəˈzænθən/
zoh-uh-ZAN-thuhn
/ˌzuəˈzænθən/
zoo-uh-ZAN-thuhn

### Where does the noun zooxanthin come from?

Earliest known use

1860s

The earliest known use of the noun zooxanthin is in the 1860s.

OED's earliest evidence for zooxanthin is from 1868, in a dictionary by Henry Watts, chemist.

### Nearby entries

1. zootrophy, n. 1877–
2. zoot suit, n. 1942–
3. zoot-suited, adj. 1942–
4. zoot-suiter, n. 1942–
5. zooty, adj. 1942–
6. zootype, n. 1883–
7. zootypic, adj. 1853–
8. zoowoman, n. 1930–
9. zooxanthella, n. 1882–
10. zooxanthellate, adj. & n. 1981–
11. zooxanthin, n.1868–
12. zoozygosphere, n. 1880–
13. zope, n. 1880–
14. zophoric, adj. 1728–
15. zophorus | zoophorus, n. 1563–
16. zopilote, n. 1787–
17. zopissa, n. 1601–
18. zoppa, adj. 1740–
19. Zoque, n. 1891–
20. Zoque–Mixe, adj. & n. 1893–
21. Zorb, n. 1996–

## Etymology

< zoo- comb. form + ancient Greek ξανθός yellow (see xantho- comb. form) + ‑in suffix1, after French zooxanthine (1857 or earlier).

## Meaning & use

1. 1868–
   A yellow carotenoid pigment found in the plumage of certain birds.
   1. 1868

      > Zooxanthin, the colouring-matter of the red feathers of Calurus auriceps.

      H. Watts, Dictionary of Chemistry vol. V. 1085
   2. 1937

      > This appearance is a characteristic of the yellow zooxanthin of these birds.

      Auk vol. 54 422
   3. 2014

      > Nonpeptidic toxins have been identified,..as well as compounds related to pigments (i.e., zooxanthin).

      L. M. Botana, Seafood & Freshwater Toxins iv. 84
   animals
   1. yellow Old English–
      concrete. A pigment or dye of a yellow colour; a paint or other colouring matter containing this. Frequently with prefixed modifying word.
   2. motey 1353–1510
      An earth (perhaps similar to ochre) used as a pigment; (perhaps) a pigment which has a speckled or mottled appearance when applied.
   3. arsenic a1393–
      Μοre fully yellow arsenic: see yellow arsenic, n. 1. Arsenic trisulfide, As2S3, a bright yellow solid obtained as a mineral and formerly used as a…
   4. orpiment c1395–
      More fully yellow orpiment. Arsenic trisulfide, As2S3, a bright yellow mineral of the monoclinic system which occurs naturally as prismatic…
   5. auripigment a1398–1736
      A bright yellow mineral, the trisulfide of arsenic (As2S3), used by painters under the name of King's Yellow. Cf. arsenic, n. 1a.
   6. ochre 1440–
      The colour of any of these substances; esp. a pale brownish yellow.
   7. pink 1464–
      A yellowish or greenish-yellow lake pigment made by combining a vegetable colouring matter with a white base, such as a metallic oxide. Also †pink-…
   8. massicot 1472–
      The yellow, orthorhombic form of lead monoxide as it occurs naturally, used as a pigment. Cf. litharge, n. 1.
   9. yellow ochre 1482–
      A brownish-yellow variety of ochre containing limonite, typically used as a pigment; the colour of this; a pigment or paint of this colour.
   10. orpine 1548–1725
       The yellow mineral or pigment orpiment. Also figurative. Obsolete.
   11. spruce ochre?c1550–
       A yellow-brown variety of ochre obtained from Prussia; (also) ochre of a shade similar to this; cf. spruce yellow, n.
   12. spruce yellow 1572–
       A yellow-brown variety of ochre obtained from Prussia; (also) a pigment producing a similar colour, or a shade of yellow similar to this ochre; cf. sp…
   13. painter's gold 1591–1854
       a. Orpiment; b. powdered gold suspended in honey for use as a pigment.
   14. spruce 1668–1740
       Ochre of a yellow-brown shade; = spruce ochre, n. Obsolete.
   15. English pink 1697–
       a. a yellow lake pigment, or shade of yellow; = Dutch pink, n. 1; b. a pink colour (see quot. 1963).
   16. giallolino 1728–
       A fine yellow pigment (see quots.).
   17. king's yellow 1738–
       a. n. Arsenic trisulfide used as a dye or artist's pigment (now chiefly historical); cf. orpiment, n. 1, yellow arsenic, n. 1 b. adj. of the colour…
   18. Naples yellow 1738–
       A yellow pigment used in painting, originally made in Naples and consisting of lead antimonate, but now frequently a mixture of white zinc oxide and…
   19. Chinese yellow 1749–
       †a. A yellow pigment or dye made using acacia flowers (obsolete); b. a pigment consisting of yellow orpiment (arsenic trisulfide, As2S3) (now chiefly…
   20. stil de grain 1769–
       A yellow pigment (see quots.).
   21. yellow earth 1794
       a. Any of various earthy materials, esp. pigments, of a yellow colour; yellow ochre; a yellowish variety of bole; b. a yellowish loess occurring in…
   22. Turner's yellow 1795–
       A yellow pigment introduced by James Turner (see etymology), originally containing lead oxychloride; paint having the colour of this. Also called min…
   23. queen's yellow 1806–79
       A toxic yellow pigment consisting of a basic mercury sulfate; = turpeth mineral n. at turpeth, n. 2; cf. (in different sense) king's yellow, n.
   24. iron yellow 1814–
       Any of various bright yellow pigments prepared using iron oxides; esp. = Mars yellow at Mars, n.¹ compounds C.2a; the colour of such a pigment.
   25. chromate 1819–
       A salt of chromic acid; e.g. chromate of lead, PbCrO4, much used as a yellow pigment.
   26. chrome yellow 1819–
       The neutral chromate of lead (PbCrO4), used as a yellow pigment; also attributive.
   27. Oxford ochre 1827–
       A form of yellow ochre formerly obtained from deposits at Shotover, near Oxford.
   28. Indian yellow 1831–
       (The colour of) a bright orange-yellow pigment originally apparently obtained from the urine of cows fed on mango leaves, and consisting mainly…
   29. Italian pink 1835–
       = Dutch pink, n. 1.
   30. Montpellier yellow 1835–
       Painting. Turner's yellow, lead oxychloride (see Turner's yellow, n.).
   31. quercitron lake 1837–
       = quercitron yellow, n.
   32. jaune brillant 1851–
       Cadmium yellow (alone or in a mixture with white lead).
   33. zinc chromate 1851–
       A toxic, yellow, water-insoluble powder, ZnCrO4, used as a pigment.
   34. zinc sulphide 1851–
       A yellow, water-insoluble powder, ZnS, used as a pigment and as a phosphor.
   35. brush-gold 1861–
       Gold pigment for applying with a brush.
   36. zooxanthin 1868–
       A yellow carotenoid pigment found in the plumage of certain birds.
   37. Oxford chrome 1875–
       = Oxford ochre, n.
   38. aureolin 1879–
       A transparent yellow pigment.
   39. cadmium yellow 1879–
       An intense yellow pigment, consisting of cadmium sulfide, artificially prepared.
   40. Cassel yellow 1882–
       Used attributively to designate various pigments, as Cassel brown n. = Cassel earth n. Cassel earth n. a brown prepared from impure lignite…
   41. Neapolitan yellow 1891–
       = Naples yellow n. at Naples, n. 5.
   42. zinc chrome 1892–
       = zinc yellow, n. below.
   43. Mars 1899
       A yellow or orange Mars colour (see compounds C.2). Obsolete. rare.
   44. jaune jonquille 1910–
       (See quot. 1960).
   45. lead-ochre
       = massicot, n.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˌzuːə(ʊ)ˈzanθɪn/
zoo-oh-ZAN-thin
/ˌzəʊə(ʊ)ˈzanθɪn/
zoh-oh-ZAN-thin

### U.S. English

/ˌzoʊəˈzænθən/
zoh-uh-ZAN-thuhn
/ˌzuəˈzænθən/
zoo-uh-ZAN-thuhn

####

##### 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

zooxanthin typically occurs fewer than 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.

zooxanthin is in frequency band 1, which contains words occurring fewer than 0.001 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 zooxanthin, n., 1920–2010

* 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
--- | ---
1920 | 0.0007
1930 | 0.0006
1940 | 0.0005
1950 | 0.0005
1960 | 0.0003
1970 | 0.0001
1980 | 0.0001
1990 | 0.00009
2000 | 0.00005
2010 | 0.00004

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

zoo-, comb. form was revised in June 2017.