hemato-

a variant of hemo-:
hematogenesis.

hemato-

combining_form

US variants of haemato-

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Word History and Origins

Origin of hemato-¹

< New Latin, combining form < Greek haimat-, stem of haîma blood

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Words That Use Hemato-

What does hemato- mean?

Hemato- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “blood.” It is used in many medical terms, especially in pathology.

Hemato- comes from the Greek haîma, meaning “blood.”

What are variants of hemato-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, hemato- becomes hemat-, as in hematal. The spelling haemato- is chiefly used in British English.

Hemato-, hemat-, and haemato- are some of the many variants of the combining form hemo-. Another is hema-.

As with haemato-, all of these combining forms are often spelled with an additional a in British English, as in haemo-, haema-, and haemato-. Historically, these forms have been spelled with a ligature of the a and e, as in hæmato-.

Also closely related to hemato- are -aemia, -emia, -haemia, and -hemia, which are combined to the ends of words to denote blood conditions.

You can learn all about the specific applications for each of these forms at our Words That Use articles for them.

Examples of hemato-

One example of a term that features the combining form hemato- that you may have encountered is hematology, meaning “the study of the nature, function, and diseases of the blood and of blood-forming organs.”

The first part of the word, hemato-, means “blood.” The second combining form, -logy, is used to name branches of science, bodies or knowledge, and areas of study. Hematology literally translates to “the study of blood.”

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

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

Break it down!

Some organisms, like the vampire bat, are hematophagous. Given that the combining form -phagous means “eating, feeding on,” what does hematophagous mean?

hematite hematoblast

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