urethro-

American  

1. a combining form representing urethra in compound words.

   urethroscope.

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Usage

What does urethro- mean? Urethro- is a combining form used like a prefix representing the word urethra, the tube that carries the urine from the bladder outside the body. In male organisms, the urethra also conveys sperm. Urethro- is used in many medical terms.Urethro- comes from the Greek ourḗthra, from the verb oureîn, “to urinate.” This verb is also the source of the English ureter, a tube in the body that carries urine from the kidneys to the bladder; combining forms representing ureter are uretero- and ureter-. Also ultimately deriving from the same root as urethra and ureter are the combining forms uro- and ur-, meaning “urine.”What are variants of urethro-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, urethro- becomes urethr-, as in urethralgia.