cupr-

1. variant of cupri- before a vowel:

   cupreous.

Words That Use cupr-

What does cupr- mean?

The combining form cupr- is used like a prefix meaning “copper.” It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in chemistry.

The form cupr- comes from Latin cuprum, meaning “copper.” Find out how copper is related to the name of the country Cyprus at our entry for copper. The Greek translation of cuprum is khalkós, “copper,” which is the source of the combining form chalco-, as in Chalcolithic. Check out our Words That Use article for chalco- for more info.

What are variants of cupr-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a consonant, cupr- becomes cupri-, as in cupriferous, or cupro-, as in cupronickel. Want to know more? Check out our Words That Use articles for both forms.

Examples of cupr-

One example of a scientific term that features the form cupr- is cuprous, “containing copper in the univalent state, as cuprous oxide, Cu2O.”

While the form cupr- means “copper,” the suffix -ous means “possessing, full of.” Cuprous literally translates to “full of copper.”

What are some words that use the combining form cupr-?

• cuprammonium
• cupreous (using the equivalent form of cupr- in Latin)
• cupric
• cuprite
• cuprous cyanide

What are some other forms that cupr- may be commonly confused with?

• -carp
• copro-
• cryo-
• crypt-
• crypto-

Not every word that begins with the exact letters cupr-, such as cupressus, is necessarily using the combining form cupr- to denote “copper.” Learn why cupressus means “cypress” at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

The suffix -ite is used to name minerals. With this in mind, what kind of substance is cuprite?