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hepato-

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a combining form meaning “liver,” used in the formation of compound words: hepatotoxin.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Also especially before a vowel, hepat-.

Origin of hepato-

Combining form representing Greek hēpat-, stem of hêpar liver
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

WORDS THAT USE HEPATO-

What does hepato- mean?

Hepato- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “liver.” It is often used in medical terms, especially in anatomy.

Hepato- comes from the Greek hêpar, meaning “liver.”

What are variants of hepato-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, hepato- becomes hepat, as in hepatitis.

Examples of hepato-

An example of a word you may have heard before that includes hepato- is hepatotoxic, “destructive to liver cells.”

As we’ve seen, the prefix hepato- means “liver.” Something toxic is poisonous to an organism. Hepatotoxic, then, literally translates to “toxic to the liver.”

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

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

 

Break it down!

What part of the body does a hepatologist study?

How to use hepato- in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hepato-

hepato-

before a vowel hepat-


combining form
denoting the liverhepatitis

Word Origin for hepato-

from Greek hēpat-, hēpar
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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