ferro-

1. variant of ferri-: ferroconcrete. In chemical terminology, the meanings of ferri- and ferro- are specialized to correspond to ferric and ferrous.

ferro-

combining form

1. indicating a property of iron or the presence of iron

   ferromagnetism

   ferromanganese

2. indicating the presence of iron in the divalent state Compare ferri-

   ferrocyanide

Word History and Origins

Origin of ferro-¹

From Latin ferr(um) “iron” + -o-

Word History and Origins

Origin of ferro-¹

from Latin ferrum iron

Example Sentences

Another keen Christmas in July party host is Filipino-Australian Neil Ferro, 47, who says the trend is "just something people do in Australia".

From BBC

But while Mr Ferro and his friends are holed up inside, others are relishing in the cold.

From BBC

"It is really disheartening," Adalys Ferro, the executive director of the Venezuelan-American Caucus, an advocacy group, told the BBC.

From BBC

While public funding for media has been questioned many times before, Ferro said the threat felt more serious this year, because so many programs and departments simultaneously have been targeted for cutbacks by the Trump administration.

From Los Angeles Times

“I feel it’s so important now that people can have institutions they rely on and trust,” Ferro said.

From Los Angeles Times

When To Use

What does ferro- mean?

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