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chrys-
- variant of chryso- before a vowel:
chryselephantine.
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Words That Use chrys-
What does chrys- mean?
Chrys- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “gold” and sometimes applied to various greenish hues. It is often used in medical and scientific terms, including in mineralogy.
Chrys- comes from the Greek chrȳsós, meaning “gold.” The Greek chrȳsós also helped form the word chrȳsallís, source of the word chrysalis. A chrysalis is the hard-shelled pupa of a moth or butterfly, so named because some pupae can have a goldish sheen.
Chrys- is a variant of chryso-, which loses its -o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.
Want to know more? Read our Words That Use chryso- article.
Examples of chrys-
Chrysanthemum are a type of flower that come in a wide array of colors.
The word comes from the Greek chrȳsánthemon, which uses the Greek equivalent of chrys-, “gold,” and ánthemon, “flower.” So, chrysanthemum is literally a “gold flower.” Beautiful!
What are some words that use the combining form chrys-?
What are some other forms that chrys- may be commonly confused with?
Break it down!
Some ancient Greek sculptures are described as chryselephantine. This means they were overlaid with two valuable materials: ivory (denoted by elephantine) and, based on the meaning of chrys-, what precious metal?
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