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pycno-
- a combining form meaning “dense,” “close,” “thick,” used in the formation of compound words:
pycnometer.
pycno-
combining_form
- indicating thickness or density
pycnometer
Word History and Origins
Origin of pycno-1
Word History and Origins
Origin of pycno-1
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Words That Use Pycno-
What does pycno- mean?
Pycno- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “thick,” “dense,” or “compact.” It is used in some medical and scientific terms.
Pycno- comes from the Greek pyknós, meaning “thick, dense, closely packed.”
What are variants of pycno-?
When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, pycno- becomes pycn-, as in pycnium (which uses the equivalent form of pycn- in New Latin).
The combining form pycno- is commonly spelled with a –k-, pykno-, as in pyknodysostosis.
Want to know more? Learn more at our Words That Use pykno- articles.
Examples of pycno-
One example of a scientific term that features the combining form pycno- is pycnometer, meaning “a container used for determining the density of a liquid or powder.”
The first part of the word, pycno-, means “dense.” The combining form -meter means “measure.” Pycnometer literally translates to “density measure.”
What are some words that use the combining form pycno-?
The above examples use equivalent forms of pycno- in other languages, especially German and New Latin. Learn more about their specific origins at our entries for each word.
What are some other forms that pycno- may be commonly confused with?
Break it down!
The combining form -style is occasionally used in architecture to mean “column” or “having columns.”
Pycnostyle is an architecture term to describing the spacing of columns. Based on the meaning of pycno- and -style, what is the literal meaning of pycnostyle?
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