-odus

1. variant of -odont, especially in the names of genera in zoology:

   ceratodus.

Word History and Origins

Origin of -odus¹

< New Latin < Greek -odous; -odont

Words That Use -odus

What does -odus mean?

The combining form -odus is used like a suffix meaning “toothed” or “having teeth.” It is used in some scientific terms, especially in the names of genera in zoology.

The form -odus ultimately comes from the Greek odoús, meaning “tooth.” The Latin word for “tooth” is dēns, source of the combining forms denti- and dento-.

The form -odus is a variant of -odont.

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

A corresponding form of -odont combined to the beginning of words is odonto-, which you can learn more about in our Words That Use article for the form.

Examples of -odus

One example of a scientific term that features the combining form -odus is ceratodus, a kind of lungfish.

The first part of the word, cerat-, means “horned.” As we have seen, the combining form -odus means “toothed.” Ceratodus literally translates to “having horned (as in ‘spiky’) teeth.”

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

 

• Neoceratodus
• Ctenodus
• Ecterodus

 

 

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

• -odynia
• dendro-
• odyno-
• onto-

Other words, such as exodus, end in the letters odus but are not using -odus as a combining form to mean “toothed.” For example, exodus is one of those words. Learn more about it at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

The combining form cteno- means “comb.” With this and the meaning of –odus in mind, what does the genus name Ctenodus literally mean?