Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “meso-” come from?

meso- (English) comes from Ancient Greek μέσος, from Ancient Greek σφαῖρα, from Ancient Greek -ειδής, from Ancient Greek -ής, from Proto-Indo-European -ēs, from Proto-Indo-European -ess, from Proto-Indo-European -os — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...

meso- (English): middle; intermediate; Designating an achiral...

Definitions

  1. middle; intermediate; Designating an achiral...

Ancestry of “meso-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekμέσοςmiddle of, between, amidst; half; of middle...
2Ancient Greekσφαῖραball, globe, sphere
3Ancient Greek-ειδήςlike, connected to, from the nature of, full of;...
4Ancient Greek-ήςadjective suffix
5Proto-Indo-European-ēsPrimarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds
6Proto-Indo-European-ess—
7Proto-Indo-European-osCreates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...

Words derived from “meso-”

  • Mesozoic
  • Mesoamerica
  • Mesoamerican
  • Mesolithic
  • mesoderm
  • mesoscale
  • mesoporous
  • mesophyll
  • mesolimbic
  • mesoscopic
  • mesodermal
  • mesonephric
  • mesosphere
  • mesocolon
  • mesocarp
  • mesophase
  • mesocortical
  • Mesoproterozoic
  • mesotrophic
  • mesonephros
  • mesorectal
  • mesoblast
  • mesosystem
  • mesomorphic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -os →