pedo-

¹ American  

especially British, paido-,

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

   pedophilia.

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pedo- ² American  

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

   pedocal.

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pedo- ¹ British  

combining form

1. variants (esp US) of paedo-

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pedo- ² British  

combining form

1. indicating soil

   pedocal

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Usage

What does pedo- mean? Pedo- is a combining form used like a prefix that has two distinct senses.The first of these senses is “child,” and this form of pedo- is occasionally used in a variety of scientific and technical terms. The form pedo- in this sense comes from Greek paîs, meaning “child.”The second of these senses is “soil,” and this form of pedo- is used very rarely in some scientific terms. The form pedo- in this sense comes from Greek pédon, meaning “ground” or “earth.”What are variants of pedo- with the sense “child”?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, pedo- becomes ped-, as in pedagogue, from Greek paidagōgós. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article on ped-.In British English, pedo- in this sense is chiefly spelled paedo-, as in paedology. Another variant spelling of pedo- is paido-, as in paidophobia.What are variants of pedo- with the sense “soil”?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, pedo- becomes ped-, as in pedon. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article on ped-.Not every word that begins with the exact letters pedo-, such as pedograph or pedometer, is necessarily using the combining form pedo- to denote “child” or "soil.” In these cases, pedo- is used as a variant of pedi-, meaning "foot," in words from French. Learn more at our entries for the words pedograph and pedometer.

Etymology

Origin of pedo-¹

Variant spelling of paedo-, from Greek paido-, combining form of paid- (stem of paîs ) “child”

Origin of pedo-²

< Greek, combining form of pédon

Example Sentences

He went on to call him a "big bike nonce" and a "pedo defender".

From BBC

In her judgment, Mrs Justice Steyn wrote: "While I do not consider that the hypothetical reader, who would read the post quickly and move on, would infer a causative link, i.e. that the claimant defends paedophiles because he shares the same propensity, the juxtaposition of the words 'nonce' and 'pedo' is striking and would reinforce the impression that the former was used in the sense of 'paedophile'."

From BBC

The ex Premier League footballer turned manager Mr Barton, 41, had called Mr Vine, 59, a "bike nonce" and "pedo defender".

From BBC

In the judgment, Mrs Justice Steyn explained: "While I do not consider that the hypothetical reader, who would read the post quickly and move on, would infer a causative link, ie that the claimant defends paedophiles because he shares the same propensity, the juxtaposition of the words 'nonce' and 'pedo' is striking and would reinforce the impression that the former was used in the sense of 'paedophile'."

From BBC

Given all the negative talk about the comedian — amid a short-lived but damaging grooming scandal, her repeat DUI arrests and her controversial trip to Israel in February — she’s begun blocking certain phrases on Instagram, including “setback,” “pedo” and “not funny,” she recently told L.A.

From Los Angeles Times