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• steno
  steno

  noun

  a stenographer.
• steno-
  steno-

  a combining form meaning “narrow,” “close,” used in the formation of compound words.
• steno.
  steno.

  abbreviation

  stenographer.

steno

¹ American  

[sten-oh] / ˈstɛn oʊ /

noun

stenos plural

1. a stenographer.

2. the art or practice of a stenographer; stenography.

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steno- ² American  

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

   stenopetalous.

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steno. ³ American  

Or stenog

abbreviation

1. stenographer.

2. stenographic.

3. stenography.

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steno- ¹ British  

combining form

1. indicating narrowness or contraction

   stenography

   stenosis

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steno ² British  

/ ˈstɛnəʊ /

noun

1. informal short for stenographer

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Usage

What does steno- mean? Steno- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “narrow” or "close."  It is used in a variety of medical, scientific, and other technical terms, especially in biology. Steno- comes from the Greek stenós, meaning “narrow.”

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• stenos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of steno¹

1910–15; by shortening; see steno-

Origin of steno-²

From the Greek word stenós

Origin of steno.³

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10; by shortening

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

steno stenos

Traditionally, court reporters have used 22-key steno machines to rapidly take down every word said by lawyers, judges and anyone else who speaks on the record during an official proceeding.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

Elsewhere in “Mothercare,” we get glimpses of a woman who took painting lessons, who scribbled her diary into steno pads, who wrote short stories about her cat.

From New York Times ● Aug. 3, 2022

Further, a court reporter then “prepares” a transcript by transforming steno notes taken in real time into a polished, official record by adding punctuation and paragraph breaks, as well as editing for readability and flow.

From Slate ● Mar. 22, 2017

It was an alarmingly realistic and life-size sculpture of a woman in an office chair, head bowed, writing on a steno pad, as though prepared to document the presence of anyone who approached.

From The New Yorker ● Apr. 13, 2015

She refused a biscuit each time Mrs. Sen extended the plate in her direction, and asked a long series of questions, the answers to which she recorded on a steno pad.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri

They have the rough, "found" beauty of stenos or inner-city cheerleaders, and they run through their number with artless urgency, as if they realize that this is their one fluky shot at stardom.

From Time Magazine Archive

The word stenography is derived from the Greek adjective stenos meaning "narrow" or "close," and the Greek verb graphein signifying "to write."

From Great Inventions and Discoveries by Piercy, Willis Duff

You mustn't get Pearlie mixed with the common or garden variety of stenos.

From Buttered Side Down: Stories by Ferber, Edna