GYN

¹

or gyn

1. gynecological.
2. gynecologist.
3. gynecology.

gyn-

²

1. variant of gyno- before a vowel:

   gynarchy.

gyn.

¹

abbreviation for

1. gynaecological
2. gynaecology

gyn-

²

combining_form

1. variant of gyno-

Example Sentences

He left its physician network in 2018 but retained hospital privileges at Cedars-Sinai while working in private practice at Rodeo Drive Women’s Health Center and Beverly Hills OB/GYN, which were also named as defendants in the lawsuit.

From Los Angeles Times

As for expanding our family, my OB/GYN suggested taking progesterone for the fourth try.

From Los Angeles Times

As for expanding our family, my OB/GYN suggested taking progesterone for the fourth try.

From Los Angeles Times

As a medical student, he said, “I was discouraged from going into OB/GYN. I was told you can’t really do research on pregnant women. This is still basically true.”

From Salon

In another, an OB/GYN shares a heartbreaking story of having an abortion late in pregnancy after discovering the child she was carrying had a fatal abnormality.

From Seattle Times

Words That Use gyn-

What does gyn- mean?

Gyn- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “woman,” “female.” It is used in some academic, medical, and scientific terms.

Gyn- comes from the Greek gynḗ, meaning “woman,” among other related senses.

Gyn- is a variant of gyno-, which loses its -o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Gyno- is itself a variant of the combining form gyneco-. Another variant of gyneco- is gyne-. Some corresponding forms of gyneco- combined to the end of words include -gyne, -gynous, and -gyny. Learn about their overlap and distinctions in the Words That Use articles for each form.

As you can see, the Greek gynḗ has proven to be very productive in English.

Examples of gyn-

One example of a term that uses gyn- is gynarchy, also known as a gynocracy, A gynarchy is “a government by women.” (Literal “girl power,” anyone?!)

The combining form gyn- means “woman,” as we’ve seen. The second part of the word, -archy, is used to mean “rule” or “government.” So, gynarchy indeed literally translates to “government by women.”

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

• gynantherous
• gynandrism
• gynandroblastoma
• gynandrous (using the equivalent form of gyn- in Greek)
• gynandry
• gyniatrics

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

• glyc-
• gon-
• gymn-
• gyr-

Break it down!

The combining form –iatrics is used to mean “healing,” “medical practice,” as in geriatrics.

Using this information and the meaning of gyn-, what is gyniatrics? Can you think of a more common name for this branch of medicine?