cheiro-

1. variant of chiro-:

   cheiromancy.

cheiro-

combining_form

1. a variant spelling of chiro-

Example Sentences

In 1895 Cheiro the palmist examined my hand & said that in my 68th year I would become suddenly rich.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use cheiro-

What does cheiro- mean?

Cheiro- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “hand.” It is often used in medical and scientific terms.

Cheiro- comes from the Greek cheír, meaning “hand.” Bats (the winged mammals) are sometimes called chiropters, a name that literally means “hand-winged,” because their wing membranes are supported by the extended digits of the forelimbs. And chiromancy, another word for palmistry, is the art or practice of telling fortunes and interpreting character from the lines and configurations of the palm of a person’s hand; it literally means “hand divination.”

Cheiro- is a variant of chiro-, as in chiropractor.

Want to know more? Read our Words That Use chiro- and Words That Use chir- articles.

Examples of cheiro-

One example of a medical term that features cheiro- is cheiroplasty, meaning “plastic surgery on the hand.”

The first part of the word, cheiro-, means “hand.” The second part of the word, -plasty, can refer to “surgical repair” and “plastic surgery.” Cheiroplasty literally translates to “plastic surgery of the hand.” The Greek root of -plasty (a verb meaning “to form, mold”) is also the source of the English plastic.

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

• cheirognostic
• cheirokinesthesia
• cheiropodalgia
• cheiropompholyx
• cheirospasm

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

• cheilo-
• chilo-
• chondro- 
• chorio-
• choreo-

Break it down!

The combining form -megaly is used in medical terms to mean “irregular enlargement (of a body part).” With this in mind, what is cheiromegaly?