This week’s theme
Words made by combining forms

This week’s words
neophilia
pyrophobia
arithmomania
zoolatry
cryptogenic

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(zo-OL-uh-tree)

MEANING:

noun:
1. The worship of animals.
2. Extreme devotion to animals, for example, to one’s pets.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Greek zoo- (animal) + -latry (worship). Earliest documented use: 1784.

NOTES:

In Egypt they worshiped cats. In Greece it was goats. In India, cows. But they had nothing on modern pet worshipers. There are wines for dogs, collars with diamonds, and pet spa and massage therapists to keep our modern fur babies in bliss.
How do you pamper your pets? Share below or email us at words@wordsmith.org.

USAGE:

“Dolphins have dethroned Christ, but don’t be fooled by that smile. Around here, zoolatry is amping up.”
Anson Cameron; Can’t Find God? Try Flipper; The Age (Melbourne, Australia); Nov 14, 2020.

See more usage examples of zoolatry in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: