WORD OF THE DAY

The adjective zoic describes something that resembles an animal or contains evidence of life. You might entertain your brother by making zoic hand shadows on his wall.

Zoic comes from the Greek zoion, "animal," and its root, which means "life." The word is rarely used as an adjective today, although it shows up as a suffix in scientific terms, like the Paleozoic (or "old life") Era. You're most likely to come across zoic in descriptions of the many myths and legends that center on animals, like the zoic folklore of the Plains Indians, which describes the exploits of the creator and trickster Coyote.