oligo-

American  

especially before a vowel, olig-

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

   oligopoly.

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oligo- British  

combining form

1. indicating a few or little

   oligopoly

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Usage

What does oligo- mean? Oligo- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “few; little.” It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology.Oligo- comes from Greek olígos, meaning "little, small, few." The Latin equivalent of olígos is paucus “few, little, small (number of),” which is the source of English terms such as paucity. To learn more, check out our entry on paucity.What are variants of oligo-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, oligo- becomes olig-, as in oligemia.

Etymology

Origin of oligo-

From Greek, combining form of olígos “little, small, few”