cupro-

1. variant of cupri-:

   cupronickel.

cupro-

combining_form

1. indicating copper

   cupronickel

   cuprite

Word History and Origins

Origin of cupro-¹

from Latin cuprum

Example Sentences

Overall, global production of cellulose-based fibers including lyocell, modal and cupro grew more than 10% to 7.2 million tons in 2022, according to the nonprofit Textile Exchange.

From Reuters

Uniqlo has expanded its AIRism line using super-fine, smooth fibers made from polyester and cupro, which is made from cotton waste, that it says dry quickly and feel cool.

From Reuters

From left: Melitta Baumeister cotton blend shorts, $480 at Totokaelo, totokaelo.com; Wales Bonner cupro blend shorts, $525 at Totokaelo, totokaelo.com; Martine Rose cotton cargo shorts, $610 at La Garçonne, lagarconne.com; Marques’ Almeida denim shorts, $350 at La Garçonne, largarconne.com.

From New York Times

Cupro, for example, is a regenerated cellulose fiber made from cotton linter — the silky fibers that stick to the seeds of the cotton plant after it has been ginned.

From Los Angeles Times

The collection culminated with silken suits with a comfy pajama feel made out of cupro, a regenerated cotton fiber often used as a silk substitute, and paired with flip-flops.

From Washington Times

Words That Use cupro-

What does cupro- mean?

The combining form cupro- is used like a prefix meaning “copper.” It is very rarely used in scientific terms, especially in chemistry.

The form cupro- comes from Latin cuprum, meaning “copper.” Find out how copper is related to the name of the country Cyprus at our entry for copper. The Greek translation of cuprum is khalkós, “copper,” which is the source of the combining form chalco-, as in Chalcolithic. Check out our Words That Use article for chalco- for more info.

What are variants of cupro-?

The form cupro- is a variant of cupr-, which gains an -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with most consonants. When combined with words or word elements that begin with -f-, cupr- becomes cupri-, as in cupriferous.  Want to know more? Check out our Words That Use articles for both forms.

Examples of cupro-

One of the only words that features this rare form is cupronickel, “any of various alloys of copper containing up to 40 percent nickel.”

The form cupro- means “copper,” while the -nickel part of the word refers to nickel, the hard, silvery-white metal. Cupronickel literally translates to “copper-nickel.”

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

• cuproplumbite
• cuprotungstite

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

• -carp
• copro-
• cryo-
• crypt-
• crypto-

Break it down!

The suffix -ite is used to name minerals, while magnes- is a combining form of the element magnesium. With this in mind, what kind of substance is cupromagnesite?