ferri-

especially before a vowel, ferr-.

1. a combining form with the meanings “iron,” “ferric,” used in the formation of compound words.

   ferriferous; ferricyanide.

ferri-

combining form

1. indicating the presence of iron, esp in the trivalent state Compare ferro-

   ferricyanide

   ferriferous

Word History and Origins

Origin of ferri-¹

< Latin, combining form of ferrum iron

Word History and Origins

Origin of ferri-¹

from Latin ferrum iron

Example Sentences

Jessica Ferri is the owner of Womb House Books and the author, most recently, of “Silent Cities San Francisco.”

From Los Angeles Times

Another speaker, Tom Ferri, urged the board to focus on bigger issues such as high turnover among teachers.

From Seattle Times

Murray 'thanked' him, Ferri replied in kind, expletives overcoming the language barrier.

From BBC

Ferri explained he'd already promised his shirt to someone else, then took his shorts off and handed them to Harkes.

From BBC

Two American players rushed to tap home an equaliser, but they were beaten there by Ferri who rescued his team from a problem of his own making, blasting the ball clear and far upfield.

From BBC

When To Use

What does ferri- mean?

Ferri- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “iron.” Ferri- is often used in scientific terms, especially in chemistry.In many terms from chemistry, ferri- is used specifically to mean "ferric," a technical term meaning "of or containing iron, especially in the trivalent state," which is when an iron ion contains three valence electrons.Ferri- comes from Latin ferrum, meaning “iron.” The Greek equivalent was sídēros, “iron,” which is the source of the combining form sidero-, as in siderite and siderocyte.What are variants of ferri-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, ferri- becomes ferr-, as in ferrate.The combining form ferro- shares the same Latin root as ferri- but is used in terms from chemistry to mean "ferrous," which means "of or containing iron, especially in the bivalent state,” which is when an iron ion contains two valence electrons.Want to learn more? Check out our Words That Use entries for ferr- and ferro-.