zoea

[ zoh-ee-uh ]

noun,plural zo·e·ae [zoh-ee-ee], /zoʊˈi i/, zo·e·as.Zoology.
  1. any of the free-swimming larva of certain crustaceans, as the crab, having rudimentary legs and a spiny carapace.

Origin of zoea

1
1820–30; <New Latin, equivalent to Greek () life + New Latin -ea-ea

Other words from zoea

  • zo·e·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use zoea in a sentence

  • All the different kinds of Crab begin life as larvae or zoeas, and cast their shells as we have seen.

    On the Seashore | R. Cadwallader Smith

British Dictionary definitions for zoea

zoea

zoaea

/ (zəʊˈiːə) /


nounplural zoeae or zoaeae (zəʊˈiːiː) or zoeas or zoaeas
  1. the free-swimming larva of a crab or related crustacean, which has well-developed abdominal appendages and may bear one or more spines

Origin of zoea

1
C20: New Latin, from Greek zōē life

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012