spiro-

¹ American  

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

   spirograph.

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spiro- ² American  

especially before a vowel, spir-

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

   spirochete.

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spiro- ¹ British  

combining form

1. indicating breath or respiration

   spirograph

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spiro- ² British  

combining form

1. spiral; coil

   spirochaete

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Etymology

Origin of spiro-¹

Combining form of Latin spīrāre “to breathe”

Origin of spiro-²

Combining form of Latin spīra, from Greek speîra “coil”

Example Sentences

Alex Spiro, an attorney for Joby, said the company “doesn’t respond to nonsense.”

From The Wall Street Journal

“Archer’s constant legal issues and flailing business operations have left it no choice but to resort to invented nonsensical theories,” Spiro said in a statement.

From The Wall Street Journal

Four hours before Sienna Spiro is due to launch her first U.S. headlining tour, the 20-year-old singer and songwriter from London sits upstairs in the Troubadour’s empty balcony, peering down as several crew members wheel a grand piano onstage.

From Los Angeles Times

The song that brought Spiro to West Hollywood this past Tuesday is “Die on This Hill,” a showstopping pop-soul ballad about staying in a toxic relationship — “I’ll take my pride, stand here for you,” she sings, “I’m not blind, just seeing it through” — that’s been streamed more than 300 million times on YouTube and Spotify since it came out in October.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet Spiro’s voice stands out: Rich and pulpy, with a crack she knows how to deploy for maximum heartbreak, it might be the most impressive instrument to come out of England since Adele emerged nearly two decades ago.

From Los Angeles Times