zoo
Pronunciation
- IPA: /zuː/[1]
Etymology
It is a shortening of the Zoological, itself short for the Zoological Gardens of the London Zoological Society,[2][3][4] established in 1828 in Regent's Park to house the society's collection of wild animals.[2][3][5] The first three letters of zoological, from Greek zōion, animal, were taken but said as one syllable.[3][5]
Earliest recorded meaning
The London Zoological Gardens: about 1847, in writings of Macaulay;[2][6] a collection of animals in general, by 1866.[3]
Semantic evolution
The gardens were at first for scientific study and opened to the public in 1847.[5] The Century Dictionary called the word a vulgarism that had passed into wide colloquial use.[3] A diverse collection of people is from 1924,[6] and a crowded and chaotic place by 1935.[3] Zoo-keeper is attested by 1885.[3]
Timeline
- c. 1847 – the London Zoological Gardens.[2]
- 1866 – any zoo.[3]
- 1874 – first US zoo, in Philadelphia.[2]
- 1924 – a diverse collection of people.[6]
- 1935 – a chaotic place.[3]
Modern meaning
Noun
- A park where living animals are kept and shown to the public.
- (informal) A place or situation of confusion or disorder.
Word family
- zookeeper
- petting zoo
Related words
- zoo-
- zoologist
- zoology
- zoological
- zodiac
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press