lipo-

¹

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

   lipolysis.

lipo-

²

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

   lipography.

lipo-

¹

combining_form

1. fat or fatty

   lipoprotein

lipo

²

/ ˈlaɪpəʊ; ˈlɪpəʊ /

noun

1. See liposuction
   informal.
   short for liposuction

Word History and Origins

Origin of lipo-¹

Combining form representing Greek lípos fat

Origin of lipo-²

< Greek, combining form of lip-, weak stem of leípein to leave, be lacking; see -o-

Word History and Origins

Origin of lipo-¹

from Greek lipos fat

Words That Use Lipo-

What does lipo- mean?

Lipo- is a combining form used like a prefix that has two, unrelated senses.

The first is “fat.” This meaning of lipo- is from the Greek lípos, meaning “fat.” When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, lipo- becomes lip-, as in lipectomy. The Latin word for fat, adeps, is the source of the combining forms adipo- and adip-, which are used similarly to lipo-.

The second meaning of lipo- is “lacking” or “leaving.” It comes from a different Greek root, leípein, meaning “to leave” or “to be lacking.” It is used in a few, rare or obscure literary or scientific terms.

Examples of lipo- meaning “fat”

An example of a word you may have encountered that features the combining form lipo- is liposuction, meaning “the surgical removal of excess fat by means of vacuum suction.”

The first part of the word, lipo-, means “fat.” The second part of the word refers to suction. So, liposuction literally means “fat suction,” and the procedure indeed involves making an incision into the skin and sucking out fat.

An informal verb form of liposuction is liposuck.

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

• lipoatrophy
• lipoblast
• lipocele
• lipochrome
• lipodystrophy
• lipoedema
• lipofibroma
• lipogenesis
• lipopenia
• liposarcoma
• liposome
• liposculpture

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

• labio-
• leio-
• lepido-
• lympho-

Break it down!

Genesis refers to the “origin,” “creation” or “formation” of something. Based on the meaning of lipo-, what type of acids does lipogenesis form?

Examples of lipo- meaning “lacking” or “leaving”

One example of a term that features the combining form lipo- to mean “lacking” is lipography, “the unintentional omission in writing, as of a specific letter or syllable.”

The first part of the word, lipo-, means “lacking.” The second part of the word, –graphy, is a combining form that here refers to “writing.” Lipography has a literal sense of “writing that was left out.”

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

• lipogram
• lipomorph
• lipotype

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

• labio-
• leio-
• lepido-
• lympho-

Break it down!

The 1939 book Gadsby by Ernest Vincent Wright is written without the letter e, the most common in English. Such a work is known as a lipogram. The combining form –gram means “something written.” What is a literal translation of lipogram?