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• helio
  helio

  noun

  a heliogram.
• helio-
  helio-

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

helio

¹ American  

[hee-lee-oh] / ˈhi liˌoʊ /

noun

Informal.

helios plural

1. a heliogram.

2. a heliograph.

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helio- ² American  

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

   heliolatry.

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helio- British  

combining form

1. indicating the sun

   heliocentric

   heliolithic

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Usage

What does helio- mean? Helio- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “sun.” It is frequently used in a variety of scientific and technical terms. Helio- comes from Greek hḗlios, meaning “sun.” The Latin cognate, sōl, is the source of several words related to the sun, such as solar and solstice. What are variants of helio-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, helio- becomes heli-, as in heliencephalitis. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article for heli-.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• helios
  plural

Etymology

Origin of helio¹

By shortening

Origin of helio-²

< Greek, combining form of hḗlios sun

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

helio helios

At sixty thousand feet the helio vanes were useless, only the power of the auxiliary rocket-tubes maintained his altitude.

From When the Sleepers Woke by Zagat, Arthur Leo

Venus, now at 8:44 was calling us by helio.

From Tarrano the Conqueror by Cummings, Ray

A winking electric helio on one of them spits out a message to the leader of the destroyers, and she flashes answer and acknowledgment as readily as though the seaplane were a sister craft.

From Merchantmen-at-arms : the British merchants' service in the war by Bone, David W. (David William)

He gave orders quickly to the chauffeur, and then the helio was hovering inches above the tree tops, and he tossed a plastiweave ladder over the side.

From The Women-Stealers of Thrayx by Holden, Fox B.

A helio car swung down in front of the school.

From There Will Be School Tomorrow by Thiessen, V. E.

“Heliothraupis,” they wrote, combines the Greek helios, for “sun,” with thraupis, “meaning ‘finch’ or ‘small bird,’ but in current usage usually referring to tanagers.”

From Slate ● Nov. 20, 2021

I can't talk in code; I have enough to worry about with the interplanetary helios.

From Wandl the Invader by Cummings, Ray

He called his process "heliography," helios being the Greek word for sun.

From Great Inventions and Discoveries by Piercy, Willis Duff

At the village where I waited for them I found some Cuirassiers, genial fellows; but living helios in the burning sun.

From Adventures of a Despatch Rider by Watson, William Henry Lowe

But of helios from Mars, or Venus, there were none reported.

From Tarrano the Conqueror by Cummings, Ray