photo

¹

[ foh-toh ]

noun

, plural pho·tos.

1. photograph.
2. Informal. photo finish.

photo-

²

1. a combining form meaning “light” ( photobiology ); also used to represent “photographic” or “photograph” in the formation of compound words:

   photocopy.

photo

¹

/ ˈfəʊtəʊ /

noun

1. short for photograph

photo-

²

combining_form

1. of, relating to, or produced by light

   photosynthesis

2. indicating a photographic process

   photolithography

photo–

1. A prefix that means “light,” as in photoreceptor.

Word History and Origins

Origin of photo¹

First recorded in 1855–60; shortened form of photograph

Origin of photo²

< Greek, combining form of phôs (genitive phōtós )

Word History and Origins

Origin of photo¹

from Greek phōs, phōt- light

Example Sentences

Some received photos of one shirt with their logos on it, but say they had nothing more.

From BBC

It’s always great to see after the game many coming together for a group photo.

From Los Angeles Times

The photo was taken in the fall of 2019 on a hot afternoon at Reseda High.

From Los Angeles Times

Two people, standing either side of a goal net, on the brink of one of the most iconic photos in sport that would change the trajectory of their lives.

From BBC

The team also hopes to automate the process of assessing nutritional content based on food photos, and is developing large language models capable of automatically asking follow-up questions to obtain more accurate information.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• capture
• illustrate
• print
• reproduce
• shoot