GYN

Gyn- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “woman,” “female.” It is used in some academic, medical, and scientific terms.

Gyn- comes from the Greek gynḗ, meaning “woman,” among other related senses.

Gyn- is a variant of gyno-, which loses its -o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Gyno- is itself a variant of the combining form gyneco-. Another variant of gyneco- is gyne-. Some corresponding forms of gyneco- combined to the end of words include -gyne, -gynous, and -gyny. Learn about their overlap and distinctions in the Words That Use articles for each form.

As you can see, the Greek gynḗ has proven to be very productive in English.

One example of a term that uses gyn- is gynarchy, also known as a gynocracy, A gynarchy is “a government by women.” (Literal “girl power,” anyone?!)

The combining form gyn- means “woman,” as we’ve seen. The second part of the word, -archy, is used to mean “rule” or “government.” So, gynarchy indeed literally translates to “government by women.”

What are some words that use the combining form gyn-?

• gynantherous
• gynandrism
• gynandroblastoma
• gynandrous (using the equivalent form of gyn- in Greek)
• gynandry
• gyniatrics

What are some other forms that gyn- may be commonly confused with?

• glyc-
• gon-
• gymn-
• gyr-

The combining form –iatrics is used to mean “healing,” “medical practice,” as in geriatrics.

Using this information and the meaning of gyn-, what is gyniatrics? Can you think of a more common name for this branch of medicine?