pneumon-

1. variant of pneumono- before a vowel:

   pneumonectomy.

Words That Use pneumon-

What does pneumon- mean?

Pneumon- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “lung.” It is often used in medical and scientific terms.

Pneumon- comes from the Greek pneúmōn, meaning “lung.” Pneúmōn helps form the Greek word pneumonía, source of the English pneumonia, “inflammation of the lungs with congestion.”

Pneumon- is a variant of pneumono-, which loses its -o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.

Want to know more? Read our Words That Use pneumono- article.

The combining form pneumo-, as in pneumogastric, is also used as a variant of pneumon- and pneumono-.

The Greek pneúmōn is also related to the combining form -pnea. Check out our Words That Use -pnea article to discover how it’s used and how it differs from pneumon-.

Examples of pneumon-

One example of a word that features pneumon- is pneumonectomy, also called a pneumectomy, “excision of part or all of a lung,” a surgical procedure.

We now know that pneumon- means “lung.” The combining form -ectomy means “excision, removal.” So, a pneumonectomy literally translates to “lung removal.”

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

• pneumonalgia
• pneumonitis (from New Latin)
• pneumonodynia

Pneumon-, if you’ll recall from above, is a variant of pneumono-, which appears in what’s often cited as the longest word appearing in major dictionaries: pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. Curious about other lengthy lexemes in English? Find them in our slideshow, “The Longest Words in the English Language.”

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

• -pnea
• pleuro-
• pulmo-

Break it down!

The combining form -itis can denote inflammation. Based on the meaning of pneumon-, what part of the body does pneumonitis affect?