chrome

¹

[ krohm ]

noun

1. chromium.
2. chromium-plated or other bright metallic trim, as on an automobile.
3. (of dyeing) the dichromate of potassium or sodium.
4. Photography. a positive color transparency; kodachrome.

verb (used with object)

, chromed, chrom·ing.

1. (of dyeing) to subject to a bath of dichromate of potassium or sodium.
2. to plate (metal) with a compound of chromium.
3. to treat or tan (a hide or leather) with a chromium compound.

-chrome

²

1. variant of chrom- as the final element of a compound word:

   polychrome.

chrome

¹

/ krəʊm /

noun

1. 1. another word for chromium, esp when present in a pigment or dye
   2. ( as modifier )

      a chrome dye

2. anything plated with chromium, such as fittings on a car body
3. a pigment or dye that contains chromium

verb

1. to plate or be plated with chromium, usually by electroplating
2. to treat or be treated with a chromium compound, as in dyeing or tanning

-chrome

²

combining form

1. colour, coloured, or pigment

   monochrome

Other Words From

• multi·chrome noun
• un·chromed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of chrome¹

1790–1800; < French < Greek chrôma color; chrome ( indefs 1, 2, 6, 7 ) shortened form of chromium

Word History and Origins

Origin of chrome¹

C19: via French from Greek khrōma colour

Origin of chrome²

from Greek khrōma colour

Example Sentences

Inside the “Love” window Elphresh the contortionist elf dances in from of a gold boom-box and 9-foot chrome mushrooms.

From The Daily Beast

Galeria is a collage of quotations: columns, chrome black tables, panels with English paisley fabric.

From The Daily Beast

Her very first sculpture, a metallic chrome unicorn aptly titled “Space Oracle,” sits on a pedestal directly in front.

From The Daily Beast

And the chrome-domed 47-year-old has been a sports commentating dynamo from Jump Street.

From The Daily Beast

Bettors placed over $9 million on California Chrome, the most wagered on any single horse to win the Belmont Stakes.

From The Daily Beast

Chrome dinettes and plastic furniture are manufactured in plants located at Marion.

From Project Gutenberg

Still, the best way would be not to try to make a green of Prussian blue and chrome yellow.

From Project Gutenberg

Like the chrome molybdate it would be superfluous as a pigment.

From Project Gutenberg

Frequently the ground colour is a bright yellow, for which they employ chrome-yellow, obtained from the trader.

From Project Gutenberg

With regard to materials, nothing but steel is used throughout, and most of the metal is forged chrome nickel steel.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use -chrome

What does -chrome mean?

The combining form -chrome is used like a suffix to mean “color.” It is used in many medical and scientific terms, especially in biology and chemistry.

The form –chrome 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.

The form -chrome is a variant of chrom- used at the end of words or word elements. Chromo- is another variant of chrom-.

Want to know more? Read our Words That Use chrom- article. 

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

Examples of -chrome

One example of a word you may be familiar with that features -chrome is polychrome, meaning “being of many or various colors.”

The first part of the word, poly-, means “many.” The second part of the word, -chrome, means “color.” Polychrome literally translates to “many-colored.” Makes sense!

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

• adrenochrome
• autochrome
• auxochrome
• bichrome
• fluorochrome
• Heliochrome
• hemochrome
• lipochrome
• monochrome
• stereochrome (formed from stereochromy)

Break it down!

The combining form hemo- is used as a prefix to mean “blood.” What does hemochrome literally mean?