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py-

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variant of pyo- before a vowel: pyemia.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

WORDS THAT USE PY-

What does py- mean?

Py- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “pus.” It is often used in medical terms, especially in pathology.

Py- comes from the Greek pýon, meaning “pus.”

Py- is a variant of pyo-, which loses its –o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.

Want to know more? Read our Words That Use pyo- article.

Examples of py-

This one’s not for the squeamish. One medical term that features the combining form py- is pyemesis, meaning “the vomiting of pus.”

The first part of the word, py- means “pus.” The second part of the word, emesis, is a medical term for “vomiting. Literally translated, pyemesis is “pus vomiting.”

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

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

Not every word that begins with the exact letters py- is necessarily using the combining forming py- to denote “pus,” e.g., pyre or pylon. Discover their origins at our entries for the words.

Break it down!

The suffix -oid means “resembling, like.” With that in mind, what does pyoid mean in everyday language?

How to use py- in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for py- (1 of 3)

py

the internet domain name for
Paraguay

British Dictionary definitions for py- (2 of 3)

PY

abbreviation for
Paraguay (international car registration)

British Dictionary definitions for py- (3 of 3)

py-

combining form
variant of pyo-
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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