phyll-

The combining form –phyll is used like a suffix meaning “leaf.” It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology.

The form –phyll comes from Greek phýllon, meaning “leaf.” The Latin cognate of phýllon is folium, also meaning “leaf,” which is the source of words such as foil, foliage, and folio. To learn more, check out our entries for these three terms.

What are variants of –phyll?

In some rare instances, –phyll is spelled without the terminal –l, becoming –phyl, as in xanthophyl.

When combined as the first element of the word, the form –phyll becomes phyllo– or phyll–, as in phyllophore. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article on –phyl, phyllo-, and phyll-.

A term from botany that features the form –phyll is megaphyll, “the relatively large type of leaf produced by ferns and seed plants.”

The mega– part of the word megaphyll means “large” or “great,” from Greek mégas. As we have seen, the form –phyll means “leaf.” Megaphyll literally translates to “large leaf.”

What are some words that use the combining form –phyll?

• cataphyll
• microphyll
• sclerophyll
• sporophyll
• xanthophyll (using the equivalent form of –phyll in French)

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

• -phily
• -phyte

The combining form sclero– means “hard.” With this in mind, what is the plant condition sclerophyll?