-merous
See also: mérous
English
editEtymology
editFrom 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
editSuffix
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
editReferences
edit- “-merous” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary (second edition, 1989)
- “-merous, comb. form” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary (draft revision, June 2010)