pterido-

Pterido- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “fern.” It is often in some scientific terms, especially in botany.

Pterido- comes from the Greek ��ٱ��í��, meaning “fern.” This Greek word is derived from the word ���é���Dz�, meaning “feather.” (Ferns do look a bit like feathers, after all.) �ʳ�é���Dz� is related to the combining forms ptero- and pterygo-.

Pteridology, meaning “the branch of botany dealing with ferns and related plants,” is one example of a word that features the combining form pterido-.

We know pterido- means “fern.” ������ about the –logy part of the word? This combining form is used to name bodies of science. Pteridology literally breaks down to the “study of ferns.”

������ are some words that use the combining form pterido-?

• pteridography
• pteridomania
• pteridophilist
• pteridophyte (using the equivalent form of pterido- in New Latin)
• pteridosperm (using the equivalent form of pterido- in New Latin)

������ are some other forms that pterido- may be commonly confused with?

• pero-
• ptero-
• pterygo-

The combining form -phyte means “plant.” With this in mind, what does pteridophyte literally translate to?