-merous
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See also: mérous
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From French -mère and its etymon Ancient Greek -μερής (-merḗs, “having (the specified number of) parts”, “sharing”): the combining form of μέρος (méros, “part”)) with the English suffix -ous; compare the English -mer and -mere, as well as the French -mère and the German -mer.
Pronunciation[edit]
Suffix[edit]
-merous
- (biology, forming adjectives) Having parts of the specified quality.
- (chiefly botany and zoology, forming adjectives) Comprising the specified number of parts.
Usage notes[edit]
- In biological descriptions, it is common to use numbers instead the Greek prefixes.
Derived terms[edit]
References[edit]
- “-merous” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary (second edition, 1989)
- “-merous, comb. form” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary (draft revision, June 2010)