somato-

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

   somatotonia.

somato-

combining_form

1. body

   somatoplasm

Word History and Origins

Origin of somato-¹

< Greek sōmato-, combining form equivalent to sōmat- (stem of sôma body) + -o- -o-

Word History and Origins

Origin of somato-¹

from Greek sōma, sōmat- body

Words That Use somato-

What does somato- mean?

Somato– is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “body.” It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology.

Somato– ultimately comes from Greek sôma, meaning “body.” The Latin equivalent of sôma was corpus, “body,” which is the source of corps, corpse, corporal, and corporeal. To learn more, check out our entries for all four words.

What are variants of somato-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, somato– becomes somat–, as in somatist.

The combining forms –some and –soma come from the same Greek root and are used to mean “body,” as in chromosome or Schistosoma. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for somat-, –some, and –soma.

Examples of somato-

One example of a medical term that features the form somato– is somatopathy, “disease of the body.”

We know that the somato– part of the word means “body,” and the –pathy portion of the word may also look familiar; it represents “disease,” from Greek pátheia, meaning “suffering.” Somatopathy literally means “disease of the body.”

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

• somatoform
• somatogenic
• somatology
• somatoplasm
• somatotopy
• somatotype

What are some other forms that somato– may be commonly confused with?

• atmo-
• osmo-
• somni-

Break it down!

The combining form –logy is used to name branches of science or areas of study. With this in mind, what is somatology?