lign-

American  

1. variant of ligni- before a vowel.

   lignite.

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Usage

What does lign- mean? Lign- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “wood.” It is very occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology. Lign- comes from Latin lignum, meaning “wood.” A Greek translation is hȳ́lē, meaning “wood” or “matter,” as in the substance of the universe, source of the combining form hylo-. Another Greek-based combining form meaning “wood” is xylo-. To learn more, check out our Words That Use article on the forms. What are variants of lign-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a consonant, lign- becomes ligni-, as in lignify, or ligno-, as in lignocaine. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles on ligni- and ligno-.