cosmo-

1. a combining form meaning “world,” “universe,” used in the formation of compound words: cosmography; in contemporary usage, sometimes representing Russian kosmo-, it may mean “outer space,” “space travel,” or “cosmic ray”: cosmonaut .

cosmo-

combining_form

1. indicating the world or universe

   cosmonaut

   cosmography

   cosmology

Word History and Origins

Origin of cosmo-¹

From Greek kosmo-, combining form of kósmos “order, good order, government, world order, the universe”; cosmos

Word History and Origins

Origin of cosmo-¹

from Greek: cosmos

Example Sentences

Actually, Brown lost the Senate race to Democrat incumbent Jean Shaheen because Scott once posed nude for Cosmo.

From The Daily Beast

“Yes, you will find it,” Cosmo assures readers, promising to help them “reap the blissful benefits” upon discovering the region.

From The Daily Beast

“I could have taken the pill, but I wanted to do the one that women were most afraid of,” she told Cosmo.

From The Daily Beast

She describes Coles, along with Cosmo Executive Editor Leslie Yazel, as “smart and funny, no nonsense, true to her word.”

From The Daily Beast

We started off with the “Kinky Jockey,” which Cosmo ranks at a difficulty of two out of five hearts.

From The Daily Beast

There lived a man for whom Catherine cared more than for any of her children; his name was Cosmo Ruggiero.

From Project Gutenberg

Certain remarkable antecedents warranted the power which Cosmo Ruggiero retained over his mistress to her last hour.

From Project Gutenberg

Ruggiero the elder was so highly valued by the Medici that the two dukes, Cosmo and Lorenzo, stood godfathers to his two sons.

From Project Gutenberg

The place has been noted for its hospitality and for its many guests, from the days of Cosmo de' Medici to those of our late King.

From Project Gutenberg

He had settled an incipient strike in the 'limes' departments, originated by Mr. Cosmo Clark's views about lighting.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use cosmo-

What does cosmo- mean?

Cosmo- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “world” or “universe.” In some cases, it represents “outer space.”

Cosmo- comes from the Greek kósmos, variously meaning “order, good order, government, world order, the universe.” The Greek kósmos is ultimately the source of the English words cosmos, cosmic, cosmopolitan, and cosmetics, among others. What does makeup have to do with the universe? Find out at our entry for the word.

What are variants of cosmo-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, cosmo- becomes cosm-, as in cosmism.

When used as the final element of a compound word, cosmo- becomes -cosm, as is microcosm.

Examples of cosmo-

A word you may be familiar with that features cosmo- is cosmology, a branch of philosophy and astronomy that deals with the origin and structure of the universe. Some serious out-of-this-world stuff.

As we’ve seen, cosmo- means “universe.” The second part, -logy, comes from the Greek lógos, meaning “word” and widely used in English to indicate an area of study. Cosmology, then, literally translates to “the study of the universe.”

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

• cosmochemistry
• cosmodrome (from Russian kosmodróm)
• cosmogony
• cosmopography
• cosmonaut (based on Russian kosmonávt)
• cosmopotron

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

• cost-
• costo-

Similar to cosmo- is the combining form astro- (think astronaut). Learn more in our Words That Use astro- article.

Break it down!

The combining form -gony means “production, genesis, origination.” What is cosmogony a theory or story of?