meno

Meno- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “month.” It is often used in medical terms, specifically in references to menstruation.

Meno- comes from the Greek mḗn, meaning “month.” It’s distantly related to the English word moon, itself related to the word month. Many calendars, both in the past and present, are based on the cycles of the moon.

Menstruation is the periodic flow (known as menses) of blood and other substances from the uterus, which happens approximately every month in women of certain ages. Indeed, both menstruation and menses derive from the Latin mēnsis, meaning “month.”

What are variants of meno-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, meno- becomes men-, as in menarche.

Menopause is the period when menstruation ends, usually between the ages of 45–55.

Borrowed from the French ménopause, menopause features the equivalent of the combining forms of meno-, referring to menstruation, and pause, meaning “cessation” and from a Greek word for “halt, stop.” Menopause, then, has the literal sense of “the end of menstruating.”

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

• menophania
• menorrhea
• menoschesis
• menostasis
• menostaxis
• menotropins

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

• melano-
• meningo-
• meso-
• mero-

The combining form -rrhea means “flow.” What is menorrhea?