hydro

¹ American  

[hahy-droh] / ˈhaɪ droʊ /

noun

plural

hydros

1. Informal. hydroelectric power.

2. Informal. hydroplane.

3. British.

   1. a bathhouse, hotel, or resort catering to people taking mineral-water health cures; spa.

   2. an establishment furnishing hydrotherapy.

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adjective

1. Informal. of, relating to, or furnishing water, water power, or hydroelectricity.

   funds for new hydro projects.

hydro- ² American  

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

   hydroplane; hydrogen.

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hydro- ³ American  

1. a combining form representing hydrogen in compound words, denoting especially a combination of hydrogen with some negative element or radical.

   hydrobromic.

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hydro ¹ British  

/ ˈhaɪdrəʊ /

adjective

1. short for hydroelectric

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noun

1. a Canadian name for electricity when it is supplied to a residence, business, institution, etc

Hydro ² British  

/ ˈhaɪdrəʊ /

noun

1. (esp in Canada) a hydroelectric power company or board

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hydro ³ British  

/ ˈhaɪdrəʊ /

noun

1. (esp formerly) a hotel or resort, often near a spa, offering facilities for hydropathic treatment

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hydro- ⁴ British  

combining form

1. indicating or denoting water, liquid, or fluid

   hydrolysis

   hydrodynamics

2. indicating the presence of hydrogen in a chemical compound

   hydrochloric acid

3. indicating a hydroid

   hydrozoan

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hydro– Scientific  

1. A prefix that means: “water” (as in hydroelectric) or “hydrogen,” (as in hydrochloride).

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Usage

What does hydro- mean? Hydro- is a combining form used like a prefix that has two distinct senses.The first of these senses is “water,” and this form of hydro- is often used in a variety of scientific and technical terms. Hydro- comes from Greek hýdōr, meaning “water.”The second of these senses is “hydrogen,” and this form of hydro- is occasionally used in a variety of scientific terms, especially in chemistry. Hydrogen, the lightest of the elements, combines with oxygen to form water. The word hydrogen comes from French hydrogène. The suffix -gen, or its equivalent in French, means "that which produces." Hydrogen literally translates to "that which produces water."What are variants of hydro-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, hydro- becomes hydr-, as in hydrant. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article on hydr-.

Etymology

Origin of hydro¹

1880–85; by shortening of compounds with hydro- ¹ ( -o ); hydro ( def. 4 ) hydro- ¹ analyzed as an adj.

Origin of hydro-²

< Greek, combining form of hýdōr water

Example Sentences

RBC now assumes no production at Norsk Hydro’s Qatar joint venture this year.

From The Wall Street Journal

RBC upgrades its rating on Norsk Hydro to outperform from sector perform and lifts its price target to 95 Norwegian kroner from 85 kroner.

From The Wall Street Journal

Norway’s Norsk Hydro said last week that its Qatari smelter, Qatalum—which has an annual capacity of 648,000 tons—could maintain output at around 60% of total capacity.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fresh Iranian missile strikes on Thursday caused “extensive further damage” to the Ras Laffan complex, according to state-owned QatarEnergy, Hydro’s joint-venture partner.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Labour run-government in Cardiff Bay called its new sector deal a "strategic partnership" with the industry "accelerating renewable deployment across onshore and offshore, wind, solar, marine and hydro".

From BBC