"representative of animals," especially representative of a god in the form of an animal, 1872, from zoo- "animal" + morphē "shape," a word of uncertain etymology, + -ic. Related: Zoomorphism.

"animal form containing all elements of a typical organism of its group," 1864, from Greek zōon "animal," from PIE root *gwei- "to live."

"disease communicated to humans by animals," plural zoonoses, 1876, from Greek zōon "animal" (see zoo-) + nosos "disease" (see noso-).