gyno-

Gyno- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “woman, female.” It is used in a variety of academic, medical, and scientific terms, especially in botany.

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

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, gyno- becomes gyn-, as in gynarchy.

Gyno- is a variant of 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 gyno- is a gynocracy, also known as a gynarchy. A gynocracy is “a government by women.” (Literally “girl power”?!)

As we know, gyno- means “woman.” The second part of the word, -cracy, is used to mean “rule” or “government.” So, gynocracy indeed literally translates to “government by women.”

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

• gynobase
• gynodioecious
• gynoecium (using the equivalent from of gyno- in Greek)
• gynogenesis
• gynoplastics
• gynophore
• gynostemia (using the equivalent from of gyno- in New Latin)

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

• glyco-
• gono-
• gymno-
• gyro-

The word plastics is used in surgical terminology to mean “the remedying or restoring of malformed, injured, or lost parts.” With this in mind, what parts of the body are operated on in gynoplastics?