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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

plural

stenos

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.”

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

So, to keep himself organized, Horton started writing everything down in a steno pad notebook.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 17, 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

I wasn’t dressed like a nominee for a literary award, with my tweed blazer, infelicitous beard and shabby steno pad.

From New York Times • Feb. 2, 2016

We all have to start somewhere and so Fiorina passed through the steno pool or something like that — clearly on the way to something and somewhere else.

From Washington Post • Sep. 21, 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