petr-

American  

1. variant of petro- before a vowel.

   petrous.

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Usage

What does petr- mean? Petr- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “rock” or "stone." It is very rarely used in scientific terms. Petr- comes from Greek pétra, meaning “rock.” Two Latin translations of pétra are lapis and saxum, both meaning “stone,” which are the roots of terms such as lapis lazuli and saxifrage, respectively. To learn more, check out our entries for both words. What are variants of petr-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with certain consonants, petr- becomes petri-. Another variant of petr- is petro-. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use petri- and petro- articles.