cheiro-
Americancombining form
Usage
What does cheiro- mean? Cheiro- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “hand.” It is often used in medical and scientific terms. Cheiro- comes from the Greek cheír, meaning “hand.” Bats (the winged mammals) are sometimes called chiropters, a name that literally means “hand-winged,” because their wing membranes are supported by the extended digits of the forelimbs. And chiromancy, another word for palmistry, is the art or practice of telling fortunes and interpreting character from the lines and configurations of the palm of a person's hand; it literally means “hand divination.”Cheiro- is a variant of chiro-, as in chiropractor. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use chiro- and Words That Use chir- articles.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But enough of these follies: ‘Necro-, pyro-, geo-, hydro-, cheiro-, coscinomancy, With other vain and superstitious sciences.’
From Witch, Warlock, and Magician Historical Sketches of Magic and Witchcraft in England and Scotland by Adams, W. H. Davenport (William Henry Davenport)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.