pulmo

Pulmo- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “lung.” It is used in medical terms, especially in anatomy and pathology.

Pulmo- comes from the Latin pulmō, meaning “lung.” This Latin root is also the source of pulmonary, a medical adjective for “lung.”

The Greek word for lung is pneúmōn, source of the combining forms pneumo-, pneum-, pneumono-, and pneumon-.

What are variants of pulmo-?

The combining forms pulmono- and pulmon-, from the same Latin root as pulmo-, also mean “lung,” as in pulmonology and pulmonitis.

Pulmoaortic, meaning “relating to the pulmonary artery and the aorta,” is one example of a medical term that features the combining form pulmo-.

The first part of the word, pulmo-, means “lung,” as we have seen. The second part, -aortic, refers to the aorta, the main artery in the body. So, pulmoaortic literal means “relating to the lungs and aorta.”

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

• pulmocardiac
• pulmohepatic
• pulmometer

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

• plasmo-
• pleuro-
• pluri-

The word hepatic means “of or relating to the liver.” What parts of the body would a pulmohepatic syndrome affect?