Zooid

any organic body or cell capable of spontaneous movement and of an existence more or less apart from or independent of the parent organism.
any animal organism or individual capable of separate existence, and produced by fission, gemmation, or some method other than direct s-xual reproduction.
any one of the recognizably distinct individuals or elements of a compound or colonial animallike organism, whether or not detached or detachable.
also, zooidal. pertaining to, resembling, or of the nature of an animal.
historical examples

the as-xual stock, after budding off one as-xual zooid, elongates again and buds off a second zooid.
the works of francis maitland balfour, volume ii (of 4) francis maitland balfour

from this bud is developed the first zooid and first serial theca of the colony.
encyclopaedia britannica, 11th edition, volume 12, slice 3 various

a, schematic longitudinal section through a zooid and bud of stylophora digitata.
encyclopaedia britannica, 11th edition, volume 2, slice 2 various

mr. busk, however, does not know of any gradations now existing between a zooid and an avicularium.
on the origin of species charles darwin

noun
any independent animal body, such as an individual of a coelenterate colony
a motile cell or body, such as a gamete, produced by an organism

zooid zo·oid (zō’oid’)
n.

an organic cell or organized body that has independent movement within a living organism, especially a motile gamete such as a spermatozoon.

an independent animallike organism produced as-xually, as by budding or fission.

one of the distinct individuals forming a colonial animal such as a coral.