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

   cosmology

   cosmonaut

   cosmography

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

He recently chopped off his signature locks to shoot Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s forthcoming film “Warfare” alongside Charles Melton, Joseph Quinn and Cosmo Jarvis, which Connor calls an “extraordinary” experience.

From Los Angeles Times

Last month, someone finally ordered a Cosmo, but the bar had long since stopped carrying cranberry juice.

From Salon

He stopped Megan and Sean Holst, a married couple in their early 30s, as they walked their golden retriever, Cosmo.

From Los Angeles Times

After Robinson’s “With a Cast of Thousands” — her name-dropping first memoir about growing up in the Golden Age of Hollywood — was published to great success in 1963, she went on to write about revolutionary women’s issues in the 1960s for Cosmo, which had hired Brown in 1965.

From Los Angeles Times

Also in the conversation are Donald Glover, for his turn as the undercover newlywed spy in the character-driven spy thriller “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” as well as Cosmo Jarvis, as the shipwrecked Englishman experiencing culture shock in “Shōgun.”

From Los Angeles Times

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?