lith

¹

[ lith ]

noun

, British Dialect.

1. an arm or leg; limb.
2. a joint, as of the finger.
3. a segment, as of an orange.

lith-

²

1. variant of litho- before a vowel:

   lithic.

-lith

³

1. a combining form meaning “stone” ( acrolith; megalith; paleolith ); sometimes occurring in words as a variant form of -lite ( batholith; laccolith ).

lith.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. lithograph.
2. lithographic.
3. lithography.

Lith.

⁵

abbreviation for

1. Lithuania.
2. Lithuanian ( def 3 ). Also Lith

-lith

¹

combining form

1. indicating stone or rock Compare -lite

   megalith

Lith.

²

abbreviation for

1. Lithuania(n)

Word History and Origins

Origin of lith¹

before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch, Old High German lid, Old Norse lithr, Gothic lithus limb, member; akin to German Glied

Origin of lith²

litho-

Word History and Origins

Origin of lith¹

from Greek lithos stone

Example Sentences

But the U.S. slowly chipped away at the deficit against Canada with TCU senior Hailey van Lith, who finished with a game-high six points, hitting a field goal and a free throw to tie game 12-12 with just under two minutes to play.

From Los Angeles Times

Burdick, Brink and Van Lith are all ranked that high.

From Seattle Times

“What I remember most is that every game is so unique,” Van Lith told the AP in April about 3×3.

From Seattle Times

LSU women’s coach Kim Mulkey reloaded after last year’s title run, adding transfers Aneesah Morrow from DePaul and Hailey Van Lith from Louisville.

From Seattle Times

Last season, Clark caught extra publicity for giving Louisville’s Hailey Van Lith a “you can’t see me” gesture by waving her hands in front of her face.

From Seattle Times

Words That Use Lith- Or -Lith

Basic definitions of lith- and -lith

Lith- and -lith are combining forms meaning “stone.” They come from the Greek líthos, meaning “stone.”

What does lith- mean?

Lith- is a combining form used like a prefix. It is used in medicine, especially in pathology, and in science, especially in geology.

In pathology terms, lith- specifically refers to a calculus, “a stone, or concretion, formed in the gallbladder, kidneys, or other parts of the body.” The word calculus itself literally means “little stone” in calculus.

Lith- is a variant of litho-, which loses its -o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use litho- article.

What does -lith mean?

The combining form -lith is used like a suffix meaning “stone.” It is used in scientific and medical terms, especially in geology and pathology.

In pathology, it specifically refers to a calculus, “a stone, or concretion, formed in the gallbladder, kidneys, or other parts of the body.” The word calculus itself literally means “little stone” in calculus.

In geology, -lith is occasionally used as a variant of -lite and its variant -lyte, combining forms used to name minerals or fossils.

The corresponding form of -lith combined to the beginning of words is litho- and lith-. Learn more about their specific applications in our Words That Use articles for the terms.

Closely related to -lith is -lithic, as in Paleolithic.

Examples of lith- used like a prefix

Lithectomy, also known as a lithotomy, is an example of a medical term that features the combining form lith-. It means “surgery to remove one or more stones from an organ or duct.”

The lith- portion of the word means “stone.” The -ectomy portion may also look familiar; it means “excision” or “removal.” Lithectomy literally translates to “stone removal.”

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

Many of the following terms use the equivalent form of lith- in Greek or Latin.

• lithagogue
• lithemia
• lithify
• lithium
• lithops
• lithoid

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

• -lite
• -lyte
• with-
• lepto-
• lit-

Not every word that begins with the exact letters lith- is necessarily using the combining forming lith- to denote “stone.” One is lith, an archaic word for a “limb” that comes from Germanic roots. Another is lithe. Learn the meaning and history of lithe at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

The suffix -ify means “to become” or “be made.” With this in mind, what does it mean when a substance such as sediment becomes lithified?

Examples of lith- used like a suffix

An example of a word you may have encountered that features -lith is monolith, “an obelisk, column, large statue, etc., formed of a single block of stone.” The word comes from the Greek monólithos, which uses the equivalent of the form mono-.

We know mono- means “one,” so what about the -lith portion of the word? That’s right, -lith refers to “stone,” from the Greek líthos. Monolith literally translates to “single stone.”

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

• bilith
• enterolith
• gastrolith
• hepatolith
• hysterolith
• laccolith
• megalith
• nephrolith
• oolith
• tonsillolith
• xenolith

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

• -ify
• with-
• lepto-
• lit-

Break it down!

The combining form mega- means “large, great, grand.” With this in mind, what is a megalith, such as those found at Stonehenge?