zoonite en · NOUN
Etymology
From zoon + -ite.
Meanings
-
(archaic) One of the segments of the body of an articulated animal, sometimes regarded as a distinct organism.
An organite is always dependent, its life is always subordinate to that of the individual of which it forms a part; a zoonite is always independent, it has a life peculiar to itself.
1843, The Medical Times, volume 7, page 183:When there is budding the somite which proliferates is the pre-anal in Myrianida and certain species of Autolytus; the anal segment is, from the first, too differentiated to take part in the formation of new zoonites.
1891, Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society, page 195:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| zoonites | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| zoönite | alternative | lexicographic |