spori-

1. variant of sporo- before elements of Latin origin:

   sporiferous.

Words That Use Spori-

What does spori- mean?

Spori- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “spore.” Spore can have a variety of meanings, but in biology, it is used to refer to small organisms such as seeds or germ cells.

Spori- ultimately comes from the Greek sporá, meaning “sowing” or “seed.” Sporadic, meaning “occasional,” comes from the related Greek sporadikós. Find out what sporadic has to do with seeds at our entry.

What are variants of spori-?

Spori- is a variant of sporo-, which loses its –o- when combined with words or word elements of Latin origin.

When combined with words or word elements of Latin origin, spori- becomes spor-, as in sporont. When used at the end of a word, as a suffix, spor- becomes -spore, as in teliospore.

A related adjectival form is -sporous, which means “having spores” or, literally, “full of spores.”

Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for spor-, sporo–, -spore, and -sporous.

Examples of spori-

One example of a scientific term featuring spori- is sporicide, “an encysted spore developed from a zygote.”

The form spori- means “spore,” as we have seen, while the -cide portion of the word means “killer,” ultimately from Latin caedere, “to kill.” Sporicide literally translates to “spore killer.”

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

• sporicidal
• sporiferous

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

• spermo-
• sphero-
• spiro-
• spleno-
• spongio-

Break it down!

The combining form -ferous has various meanings, including “bearing.” With this in mind, what does the scientific term sporiferous mean in everyday language?