antho-

1. a combining form meaning “flower,” used in the formation of compound words:

   anthophore.

antho-

combining_form

1. denoting a flower

   anthozoan

   anthophore

   anthotaxy

Word History and Origins

Origin of antho-¹

< Greek, combining form of ánthos flower

Word History and Origins

Origin of antho-¹

from Greek anthos

Example Sentences

They had been planning to open Antho Vineyards, a winery and tasting room, on the island in Lake Michigan.

From Seattle Times

He singles out the ribbing on the sides of the Antho, whose name is inspired by his childhood nickname, or the kidney-shaped pocket on the Loup biker jacket, christened after one of his three daughters.

From Los Angeles Times

Known in the breeding world as “antho,” short for anthocyanin, these tomatoes contain the same pigment found in blueberries.

From Seattle Times

It was only through the influence of Antho, Rhea's cousin, that the unhappy vestal was not put to death by Amulius, before her children were born, at the time when her fault was first discovered.

From Project Gutenberg

Then, besides, he had a daughter of his own named Antho, who was the playmate and companion of Rhea, and with whose affection for her cousin he must have felt some sympathy.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use antho-

What does antho- mean?

Antho- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “flower.” It is often used in scientific terms, especially in botany.

Antho- comes from the Greek ánthos, meaning “flower.”

What are variants of antho-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, antho- becomes the rare variant anth-.

Examples of antho-

You have likely heard of the word anthology. An anthology is “a book or other collection of selected writings by various authors, usually in the same literary form, of the same period, or on the same subject.”

But what does an anthology have to do with flowers? Anthology comes from a Greek word that literally means “flower-gathering” but was used metaphorically to refer to a “collection of poems.” Flowers and poems? How lovely!

The Greek source of anthology features the equivalent of antho- in Greek, meaning “flower.” The -logy portion of the anthology is related to the combining form -logy (“body of knowledge”), but in the original Greek, it has the specific sense of “gathering, collection.”

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

• anthocarpous
• anthocyanin
• anthophilous
• anthophobia
• anthophore (using the equivalent form of antho- in Greek)
• anthotaxy

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

• anthropo-
• anthraco-
• ant-
• ante-
• arthro-

While antho- looks very similar to anthem, anthem comes from a completely different word in Greek. Discover the origins of the word anthem at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

You may be familiar with the combining form -phobia, which means “fear.” With this in mind, what is anthophobia?