lepido-

1. a combining form meaning “scale,” used in the formation of compound words:

   lepidopteron.

lepido-

combining_form

1. scale or scaly

   lepidopterous

Word History and Origins

Origin of lepido-¹

< Greek, combining form representing lepís (stem lepid- ) scale. See leper

Word History and Origins

Origin of lepido-¹

from Greek lepis scale; see leper

Example Sentences

The box contains a new form of heat exchange equipment called Lepido, developed by a Malmö start-up called Enjay.

From BBC

Lepido's heat exchanger has already been installed in an industrial laundry in the Netherlands, and at Europe's largest pancake factory in Laholm in southern Sweden.

From BBC

Lepido became commercially available in 2018 and has since been installed in around 250 Burger King franchises across Sweden, Norway and Denmark, as well as school and hotel kitchens across the Nordics and the Benelux region.

From BBC

Enjay's co-founder Nils Lekeberg says that an average-sized restaurant using Lepido can cut its heating bills by up to 90% a year, and reduce its annual carbon footprint by 30 tonnes.

From BBC

Here are Daniele Lepido and Niclas Rolander in Bloomberg: With schools, shops and restaurants closed in an attempt to limit Europe’s worst coronavirus outbreak, the amount of data passing through Telecom Italia SpA’s national network has surged by more than two-thirds in the past two weeks, the company said.

From The Verge

Words That Use Lepido-

What does lepido- mean?

Lepido- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “scale.” It is used in some scientific terms, especially in mineralogy and zoology.

Lepido- comes from the Greek lepís, meaning “scale.” The disease leprosy, which can cause skin to appear scaly, ultimately comes from this same Greek word. Find out more in our About This Word article on leprosy.

Examples of lepido-

One example of a scientific term that features the combining form lepido- is lepidopterous, “belonging or pertaining to the Lepidoptera.” Lepidoptera is an order of insects comprising the butterflies, moths, and skippers, that in the adult state have four membranous wings more or less covered with small scales.”

Lepido- means “scale,” as we now know. So, what about the -pterous portion of the word? It means “having wings,” from the Greek pterón. Lepidopterous literally translates to “having scaly wings.”

What are some words that use or are related to  the combining form lepido-?

• lepidocrocite
• lepidolite
• lepidopteran
• lepidopteron
• lepidopterology
• lepidosiren

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

• labio-
• leio-
• lepto-
• lympho-

Break it down!

Lepidolite is a type of mineral that can occur in white-, rose-, or lilac-colored scaly masses. The combining form -lite can be used to name minerals or fossils. It comes from the Greek líthos, meaning “stone.” With this in mind, what does lepidolite literally translate to?