zo·e·trope (z???-tr?p?)n. A mechanical device consisting of a rotating drum ringed with narrow apertures through which an animated image is viewed.[Greek z??, life + -tropos, turning; see -tropous.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.zoetrope (?z????tr??p) n (Games, other than specified) a cylinder-shaped toy with a sequence of pictures on its inner surface which, when viewed through the vertical slits spaced regularly around it while the toy is rotated, produce an illusion of animation[C19: Greek zoe life + trope turn]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014