chromo

¹ American  

[kroh-moh] / ˈkroʊ moʊ /

noun

plural

chromos

1. chromolithograph.

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chromo- ² American  

1. variant of chrom- before a consonant.

   chromophore.

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chromo- ¹ British  

combining form

1. indicating colour, coloured, or pigment

   chromogen

2. indicating chromium

   chromyl

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chromo ² British  

/ ˈkrəʊməʊ /

noun

1. short for chromolithograph

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Usage

What does chromo- mean? Chromo- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “color.” It is used in many medical and scientific terms. Chromo- comes from the Greek chrôma, meaning “color” and is the source of the words chroma and chrome, among many others. The chemical element chromium is so named for the colorful compounds the metal can form. Chromo- is a variant of chrom-, as in chromesthesia, used when combined with words or word elements beginning with a consonant. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use chrom- article. A corresponding form of chromo- and chrom- combined to the end of words is -chrome, as in polychrome. Closely related to chromo- are the combining forms chromato- and chromat-.

Etymology

Origin of chromo

By shortening; -o

Example Sentences

All schools are represented; paintings ranging through chromo, academic and modernist styles in all their manifestations hang in assorted order on the overcrowded walls.

From Time Magazine Archive

On its face he found a gaudy chromo entitled "No. 528 Nature."

From Time Magazine Archive

As a child in Ireland he played with Fletcher Christian's sword, knew his 18th-Century cousin's renown from yellowed family documents and a curly-wigged chromo that hung over the mantel.

From Time Magazine Archive

During the last three months of her pregnancy, pious, 24-year-old Mrs. Esperanza Sacramenta Rafael of Manila lay in bed gazing at a chromo of Christ pointing to his exposed, bleeding heart.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Hu-u-m, hu-e-e-u-m hum!" droned Mrs. Coleman, her eyes fixed upon a large chromo of the Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus hanging upon the opposite wall.

From The Co-Citizens by Harris, Corra