oligo-

Oligo- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “few; little.” It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology.

Oligo- comes from Greek olígos, meaning “little, small, few.” The Latin equivalent of olígos is paucus “few, little, small (number of),” which is the source of English terms such as paucity. To learn more, check out our entry on paucity.

What are variants of oligo-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, oligo- becomes olig-, as in oligemia.

One example of a scientific term that features the form oligo- is oligopnea, “abnormally infrequent respiration.”

The combining form oligo- means “few” or “little,” as we have already seen, but what about the -pnea part of the word? It means “breath” or “respiration,” from Greek -pnoia.

What are some words that use the combining form oligo- or olig-?

• oligoamnios
• oligarch (using the equivalent form of olig- in Greek)
• oligochaete
• oligoclase
• oligogene
• oligopoly
• oligopsony

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

• ole-
• oleo-

The combining form -clase denotes minerals with a particular cleavage. With this in mind, what is an oligoclase?