chondrio-

1. a combining form meaning “cartilage,” used in the formation of compound words:

   chondriosome.

Word History and Origins

Origin of chondrio-¹

< Greek chondríon, diminutive of chóndros cartilage

Words That Use Chondrio-

What does chondrio- mean?

Chondrio- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “cartilage” or “grain.” It is used in a few medical and scientific terms.

Chondrio- ultimately comes from the Greek chóndros, meaning “cartilage” or “grain.”

What are variants of chondrio-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, chondrio- becomes chondr-, as in chondritis.

Closely related to chondrio- is chondro-, as in chondromere, which is used in medical terms to indicate “cartilage” and scientific terms to indicate “grain” or “granular.”

Examples of chondrio-

One example of a scientific term that features the combining form chondrio- is chondriosome, also known as a mitochondrion. A chondriosome is “an organelle in the cytoplasm of cells that functions in energy production.”

The first part of the word, chondrio-, here means “granule.” The second part of the word, the combining form -some, means “body.” Chondriosome has a literal sense of “granular body,” referring to the organelle’s shape and size.

What are some other words related to chondrio-?

• chondrichthian
• chondrify
• chondrin
• chondrite
• mitochondrion

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

• chiro-
• chloro-
• choro-
• choroido-

Break it down!

Mitochondrion is another word for chondriosome.

Given that the first part of the word, mito-, comes from the Greek for “thread,” what is a literal translation of mitochondrion? Draw on the “grain” sense of chondrio-.