chloro-

¹ American  

1. variant of chlor- before a consonant.

   chlorophyll.

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chloro- ² American  

1. variant of chlor- before a consonant.

   chloroform.

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chloro- British  

combining form

1. indicating the colour green

   chlorophyll

2. chlorine

   chloroform

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Usage

What does chloro- mean? Chloro- is a combining form used like a prefix that can mean “green” or indicate the chemical element chlorine. It is used in many medical and scientific terms, especially in biology and chemistry.Chloro- comes from the Greek chlōrós, meaning “light green” or “greenish yellow.” Chlorine is so named because the gas has a pale green color.Chloro- is a variant of chlor-, as in chloranil, used when combined with words or word elements beginning with a consonant. However, in chemistry, chlor- is also often combined to words or word elements beginning with consonants.Want to know more? Read our Words That Use chlor- article.