pneumo-

American  

1. variant of pneumato- or pneumono-.

   pneumococcus.

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pneumo- British  

combining form

1. of or related to a lung or the lungs; respiratory

   pneumoconiosis

   pneumonitis

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Usage

What does pneumo- mean? Pneumo- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “lung” or “breath.” It is often used in medical terms, especially in pathology and anatomy. Pneumo- comes from the Greek pneúmōn, meaning “lung.” Pneúmōn helps form the Greek word pneumonía, source of the English pneumonia, “inflammation of the lungs with congestion.”Pneumo- is a variant of both the combining forms pneumato-, meaning "air, breath, spirit," and pneumono-, meaning "lung." Learn more in our Words That Use articles for these forms. What are variants of pneumo-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, pneumo- becomes pneum-, as in pneumectomy. The Greek pneúmōn is also related to the combining form -pnea. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use -pnea article.

Etymology

Origin of pneumo-

from Greek pneumōn lung or pneuma breath