-oidea

1. a suffix used in the names of zoological classes or entomological superfamilies.

-oidea

suffix forming plural proper nouns

1. forming the names of zoological classes or superfamilies

   Crinoidea

   Canoidea

Word History and Origins

Origin of -oidea¹

< New Latin, plural of Greek -oeidēs -oid; -a ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of -oidea¹

from New Latin, from Latin -oīdēs -oid

Example Sentences

Nivver a bit do Oi loike th' oidea av seein' thim boofalo shot onliss Oi can do th' shootin'.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use -oidea

What does -oidea mean?

The suffix –oidea means “resembling” or “like.” It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in the names of zoological classes.

The suffix –oidea comes from Greek –oeidēs, from eîdos, meaning “form.”

What are variants of –oidea?

The singular form of –oidea used in many scientific and technical terms is –oid, as in cytoid. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article on –oid.

Examples of -oidea

One example of a scientific term that features the suffix –oidea is Cystoidea, an extinct class of sea creatures similar to crinoids.

The cyst– part of the word means “cyst,” a scientific term for a “bag” or “pouch.” The –oidea part of the word means “resembling.” Cystoidea literally means “bag-like.”

What are some words that use the suffix –oidea?

• Axioidea
• Geomyoidea
• Helicoidea
• Hydroidea
• Hyloidea

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

• -ea
• -ode
• -oic

Break it down!

The combining form hylo– means “wood.” With this in mind, what does the scientific term Hyloidea literally mean?