-merous

1. a combining form meaning “having parts” of the kind or number specified by the initial element:

   dimerous.

-merous

combining form

1. (in biology) having a certain number or kind of parts

   dimerous

Word History and Origins

Origin of -merous¹

< Greek -meros, adj. derivative of méros part, portion, share; -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of -merous¹

from Greek meros part, division

Example Sentences

Nū′merous, great in number: being many.—adv.

From Project Gutenberg

The Internal Revenue agent in Chicago an nounced last week that Scarface's own bank-accounts, and records of his nu merous gambling-joints, nightclubs, dog tracks, were being searched diligently; his indictment was forecast before spring.

From Time Magazine Archive

Another showcase is Chicago's Midtown Center, a school and youth agency that has prepared nu merous blacks and Hispanics for college.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Akans, among whom Busia is a royal prince, are four times as nu merous in Ghana as the Ewe tribe, to which his adversary Gbedemah belongs.

From Time Magazine Archive

Bathing and Swimming Bathing and swimming supply, in their nu merous forms, examples of both healthful activity and relaxation.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use -merous

What does -merous mean?

The combining form -merous is used like a suffix to mean “having parts.” It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in botany.

The form -merous comes from Greek méros, meaning “part” or “portion.” From this same source, we also inherit the combining forms -mer and -mere.

Want to know more? Check out our Words That Use entries for both forms.

Examples of -merous

One example of a scientific term that features the form -merous is heptamerous, “consisting of or divided into seven parts.”

The first part of the word, hepta-, means “seven,” from Greek heptá, while the form -merous means “having parts.” Heptamerous literally translates to “having seven parts.”

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

• allomerous
• dimerous (using the equivalent form of -merous in Greek)
• isomerous
• pentamerous (using the equivalent form of -merous in Latin)
• tetramerous (using the equivalent form of -merous in Greek)

Not every word that ends with the exact letters -merous, such as numerous, is necessarily using the combining form -merous to denote “having parts.” Learn why numerous means “many” at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

The combining form di- means “two.” With this in mind, what does dimerous literally mean?