chrom-

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

   chromhydrosis.

2. Chemistry.
   1. a combining form used in the names of chemical compounds in which chromium is present.
   2. a combining form that, when prefixed to the name of a chemical compound, denotes its colored form.

Word History and Origins

Origin of chrom-¹

The Greek word chrôma “color” ( chroma ) underlies chrom- def 1; chrom- def 2 is derived from chromium

Example Sentences

Nintendo also revealed new echo fighters — slightly different versions of existing fighters — in the form of Dark Samus, Richter Belmont, and Chrom from Fire Emblem.

From The Verge

One nefarious foe after another threatens Prince Chrom and his merry band, including your own main character whose story is inextricably woven into the threads of time and destiny.

From Forbes

Thus the principal component parts are:—Sand; chalk; potash; brimstone; arsenic, mixed with various colors, regulated by the principal:—Uran oxide; cobalt oxide; coppré oxide; nickel oxide; chrom oxide; minium; tin oxide.

From Project Gutenberg

And if it were not far too great audacity in me to speak again, I would say," quoth the leech, "that all Perth knows that the Gow Chrom never was the maiden's choice, but fairly forced upon her by her father.

From Project Gutenberg

Say yet—oh, say yet—she shall be mine if we gain the combat, and not the Gow Chrom himself, whose heart is of a piece with his anvil, ever went to battle so light as I shall do!

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use Chrom-

What does chrom- mean?

Chrom- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “color.” In chemistry, chrom- specifically indicates a substance that contains chromium or a colored form of a substance.

Chrom- comes from the Greek chrôma, meaning “color” and is the source of the words chroma and chrome, among many others. The chemical element chromium is so named for colorful compounds the metal can form.

What are variants of chrom-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a consonant, chrom- becomes chromo-, as in chromosome.

A corresponding form of chrom- combined to the end of words is -chrome, as in polychrome.

Closely related to chrom- are the combining forms chromato– and chromat–.

Examples of chrom-

An example of a word you may have encountered that features chrom- is chromhidrosis, a medical term for secreting pigmented sweat.

The first part of the word, chrom-, means “color.” The second part, -hidrosis, refers to “sweat,” from the Greek hídrōsis. Chromhidrosis, then, literally translates to “colored sweat.”

What are some words that use or are related to the combining form chrom-?

• chromate
• chromaffin
• chromesthesia
• chromic
• chrominance
• chromite
• chromyl

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

• chemo-
• chemi-
• chiro-
• chir-
• chloro-
• chlor-
• chrono-
• chron-
• chorio-
• chori-

Break it down!

Chromesthesia is a condition in which another sensation, such as taste or smell, is stimulated by perceiving what?