zoomorphic, a.
(zəʊəʊˈmɔːfɪk)
[f. as prec. + -ic.]
1. Representing or imitating animal forms, as in decorative art or symbolism.
| 1872 Archaeol. Cant. VIII. 266 A legend not in runes, but in zoomorphic characters. 1885 M'Crie Sk. & Stud. 23 The zoomorphic character so conspicuous in the ornamentation of Celtic manuscripts. |
2. Attributing the form or nature of an animal to something, esp. to a deity or superhuman being. (Cf. anthropomorphic.)
| 1880 Murray Philol. Soc. Addr. 22 The enlargement or abbreviation of words by letters, which in the curious zoomorphic dialect of many books, creep in, or drop out, or fall away, or develop as parasites. 1884 A. Lang Custom & Myth 118 Mr. Sayce, who recognises totemism as the origin of the zoomorphic element in Egyptian religion. |
b. Having, or conceived or represented as having, the form of an animal.
| 1886 A. Lang in 19th Cent. 428 Under Dynasty XII. the gods..appear in their later shapes, often half anthropomorphic, half zoomorphic. 1887 ― Myth, Rit. & Relig. I. 9 All pre-Christian religions have their ‘zoomorphic’..idols. |