anhydr-

1. variant of anhydro- before a vowel.

Words That Use anhydr-

What does anhydr- mean?

Anhydr– is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “anhydride.” Anhydride is a term from chemistry that means “a compound formed by removing water from a more complex compound.” Anhydr– can also be used to mean “without water” more generally. It is used in scientific terms, especially in chemistry.

Anhydr– ultimately comes from Greek ánȳdros, meaning “waterless.” Ánȳdros comprises two elements: a–, which is a variant of an–, meaning “not” or “without,” and hýdōr, meaning “water.” To learn more, check out our Words That Use article on the combining form hydro–.

What are variants of anhydr-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a consonant, anhydr– becomes anhydro–, as in anhydrobiont. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article for anhydro-.

Examples of anhydr-

A term from medicine that uses the form anhydr– is anhydremia, “an abnormal decrease in the volume of the blood, due to loss of water.”

Anhydr– means “without water,” as we have seen. The combining form –emia denotes a blood condition, from Greek –aimía. Anhydremia literally translates to “waterless blood.”

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

• anhydrase
• anhydride
• anhydrite
• anhydrous (using the equivalent form of anhydr– in Greek)

What are some other forms that anhydr– may be commonly confused with?

• an-
• anthrac-
• anthraco-
• hydr-
• hydro-

Break it down!

The suffix –ase is used to name enzymes. With this in mind, what is anhydrase?