WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Zo"?*a
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo?l.)
Definition : Defn: A peculiar larval stage of certain decapod Crustacea, especially of crabs and certain Anomura. [Written also zo?a.]

Note: In this stage the anterior part of the body is relatively large, and usually bears three or four long spines. The years are conspicuous, and the antenn? and jaws are long, fringed organs used in swimming. The thoracic legs are undeveloped or rudimentary, the abdomen long, slender, and often without appendages. The zo?a, after casting its shell, changes to a megalops.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913