lepto

¹ American  

[lep-toh] / ˈlɛp toʊ /

noun

Informal.

1. leptospirosis.

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lepto- ² American  

especially before a vowel, lept-.

1. a combining form meaning “thin,” “fine,” “slight,” used in the formation of compound words.

   leptophyllous.

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lepto- British  

combining form

1. fine, slender, or slight

   leptosome

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Usage

What does lepto- mean? Lepto- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “thin, fine, slight.” It is used in medical, scientific, and other technical terms.Lepto- comes from the Greek leptós, variously meaning “thin, slight, fine, small,” with a literal sense of “stripped.” Leptós is also the source of leptin, a hormone thought to suppress appetite and speed up metabolism.What are variants of lepto-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, lepto- can become lept-.

Etymology

Origin of lepto¹

By shortening

Origin of lepto-¹

< Greek lepto-, combining form of leptós thin, slight, fine, literally, stripped, equivalent to lép ( ein ) to strip + -tos adj. suffix

Example Sentences

“If you have a private backyard, if your pet is in the parks, if your pet likes to sniff around garbage, drink from standing puddles, get a lepto vaccine,” she said.

From New York Times

“Then a concerned dog owner came up to me and told me that a few puppies have passed away from lepto recently, so we all got out of there.”

From New York Times

In the eight weeks since the storm hit, clean water has been so scarce that the 3.4 million Americans in Puerto Rico have been forced to drink from streams and rivers – all of which can be a breeding ground for lepto.

From MSNBC

Today, Dr. Deseda tells us the CDC identified 14 cases of lepto in patients who are alive and fighting the disease, plus two cases where the patient died.

From MSNBC

These two new deaths of lepto did not change the overall death toll; they had already been counted, but now we have an official ruling on the diagnosis.

From MSNBC