telluro-

American  

especially before a vowel, tellur-

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

   telluric.

2. a combining form representing tellurium in compound words.

   telluride.

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Usage

What does telluro- mean? Telluro- is a combining form used like a prefix that has two distinct senses. The first of these senses is “earth,” and this form of telluro- is used in very few scientific and technical terms. The second of these senses is “tellurium,” a rare, lustrous, brittle, crystalline, silver-white element resembling sulfur in its properties." This use of telluro- is very occasionally used in terms from chemistry. Telluro- comes from Latin tellūs, meaning “earth.” The Greek translation of tellūs is gê, “earth,” which is the source of the English combining form geo-, as in geography and geology. To learn more, check out our entries for both words. What are variants of telluro-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, telluro- becomes tellur-, as in tellurite.