tomo-

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

   tomography.

tomo

/ ˈtɒmɒ /

noun

1. a shaft formed by the action of water on limestone or volcanic rock

Word History and Origins

Origin of tomo-¹

Combining form representing Greek tómos a cut, section; -tome

Word History and Origins

Origin of tomo-¹

Māori

Example Sentences

Tomo Givhan started exploring fashion design in 2021 after a formative trip to Japan, where he discovered traditional Japanese hand-stitching methods like boro and sashiko.

From Los Angeles Times

Not far away his younger brother, Tomo, sprints down a short running track as his motion is tracked by a series of cameras.

From BBC

Ltd., as well as Professor Tatsuya Tomo and Professor Eiji Tokunaga from TUS, was published in Volume 13, Issue 4 of the journal Plants in February 12, 2024.

From Science Daily

There was a line out the door as pint-hoisting patrons took in music from artists who’d played one of Seattle’s coziest rooms over the years, including local staples like Tomo Nakayama, Sera Cahoone and Kevin Murphy of The Moondoggies.

From Seattle Times

Para Einstein, la revelación central de la relatividad tomó forma en un sueño en el que las vacas saltaban y se movían simultáneamente en un movimiento ondulatorio.

From New York Times

Words That Use Tomo-

What does tomo- mean?

Tomo- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “a cut, section.” It is used in a few medical terms.

Tomo- comes from the Greek tómos, meaning “cut, slice.” This root, which can also mean “piece, roll of paper, or book,” is also the source of the word tome. Crack open the history of tome at our entry for the word.

Also related to tómos is atom. What’s the big idea behind atoms and cutting? Find out in our Origin section for this term.

Related to tomo- are the combining forms -ectomy, -tome, -tomy, and -tomous. Slice into their specific meanings at our Words That Use articles for the forms.

Examples of tomo-

One example of a term from medicine that features the combining form tomo- is tomography. Tomography refers to various techniques that are used to obtain an X-ray photograph of a selected plane section of the human body or some other solid object.

As we know, tomo- means “a cut, section.” The second part of the word, -graphy, denotes the process of drawing, representing, recording, imaging, or the like. Tomography has a literal sense of “getting an image of a section.”

What are some words that use or are related to the combining form tomo-?

• tomium
• tomogram
• tomograph

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

• topo-
• tono-

Most words that begin with the letters tomo- do not use the combining form tomo- to denote “a cut, section.” Tomorrow is an example. Learn what the letters in tomorrow are doing today at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

The combining form –gram means “drawing” or “image.” What does tomogram literally mean?