galacto-

American  

1. a combining form meaning “milk,” used in the formation of compound words.

   galactopoietic.

---

galacto- British  

combining form

1. milk or milky

   galactometer

---

Usage

What does galacto- mean? Galacto- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “milk.” It is occasionally used in medical terms, especially in anatomy and pathology. Galacto- comes from Greek gála (stem galakt-), meaning “milk.” The Latin cognate of gála is lac (stem lact-), also meaning “milk,” which is the source of lactose, latte, and perhaps even lettuce. To learn more, check out our Words That Use articles on the combining forms lact-, lacti-, and lacto-. What are variants of galacto-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, galacto- becomes galact-, as in galactosis. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use galact- article.

Etymology

Origin of galacto-

< Greek galakto-, combining form of galakt-, stem of gála milk