Here you’ll find 52 prefixes that start with C, organized from “caco-” to “cyto-“. They are mostly Greek or Latin roots used in medicine, science, numbers, and everyday words.
Prefixes that start with C are short beginnings added to words to change meaning. Many come from ancient Greek and Latin, like “crypto-” and “caco-“, which helped shape scientific vocabulary.
Below you’ll find the table with Prefix, Origin, Meaning, Examples, Notes, and Source.
Prefix: Shows the prefix itself so you can quickly spot forms and common spellings in words.
Origin: Gives the language of origin and root, helping you understand historical meaning and relationships to other words.
Meaning: Provides a concise gloss (three to seven words) so you grasp core sense quickly and compare similar prefixes.
Examples: Lists two to four clear example words so you see how the prefix changes meaning in real usage.
Notes: Offers brief usage tips, variants, or common pitfalls to help you use and recognize the prefix correctly.
Source: Points to authoritative dictionaries or glossaries so you can verify meanings or explore deeper etymology if needed.
Prefixes that start with C
| Prefix | Origin | Meaning | Example words |
|---|---|---|---|
| co- | Latin | with, together | cooperate, coexist, coauthor |
| circum- | Latin | around, surrounding | circumference, circumnavigate, circumstantial |
| cis- | Latin | on this side; same side | cisgender, cisalpine, cis-acting |
| cata- | Greek | down, against, according to | catabolism, catastrophe, catalog |
| chemo- | Greek | chemical, drug-related | chemotherapy, chemoautotroph, chemokinesis |
| chloro- | Greek | green, chlorine-related | chlorophyll, chloroform, chloroplast |
| chromo- | Greek | color, pigment | chromosome, chromatic, chromatography |
| chrono- | Greek | time | chronology, chronic, chronometer |
| chiro- | Greek | hand | chiropody, chiropractor, chiromancy |
| chole- | Greek | bile, gall | cholecystectomy, cholelithiasis, cholecyst |
| chondro- | Greek | cartilage | chondrocyte, chondritis, chondrosarcoma |
| cardio- | Greek | heart | cardiology, cardiovascular, cardiogram |
| cine- | Greek/Latin | motion, film | cinema, cinematography, cinemagraph |
| claustro- | Latin | closed, confined | claustrophobia, claustral |
| clino- | Greek | lean, slope, bed | clinometer, clinical, clinostat |
| coelo- | Greek | hollow, cavity | coelom, coelenterate, coelomic |
| coleo- | Greek | sheath | Coleoptera, coleocephaly |
| colpo- | Greek | vagina | colposcopy, colpitis, colporrhaphy |
| colo- | Greek/Latin | colon (large intestine) | colonoscopy, colitis, colonoscopy |
| contra- | Latin | against, opposite | contradict, contraception, contravene |
| counter- | Old French | opposite, opposing | counterattack, counterproductive, counterargument |
| crypto- | Greek | hidden, secret | cryptography, cryptic, cryptococcus |
| cryo- | Greek | cold, freezing | cryotherapy, cryogenic, cryostat |
| cyclo- | Greek | circle, ring, cycle | cycle, cyclone, cyclohexane |
| cyto- | Greek | cell | cytology, cytoplasm, cytokine |
| cyber- | Greek (modern) | computer, virtual systems | cyberspace, cybersecurity, cyberbullying |
| cyano- | Greek | blue | cyanobacteria, cyanide, cyanotype |
| carbo- | Latin | carbon, coal-related | carbohydrate, carbonic, carboxyl |
| carni- | Latin | flesh, meat | carnivore, carnivorous, carnal |
| carcino- | Greek | cancer | carcinoma, carcinogen, carcinogenesis |
| cerebro- | Latin | brain | cerebrovascular, cerebellum, cerebrospinal |
| centi- | Latin | one-hundredth (1/100) | centimeter, centigram, centiliter |
| centro- | Greek | center | centroid, centromere, centrosome |
| cephalo- | Greek | head | cephalopod, encephalitis, cephalalgia |
| cele- | Greek | hernia, swelling | meningocele, cystocele, hydrocele |
| cerato- | Greek | horn | ceratopsian, ceratocyte, ceratology |
| chela- | Greek | claw, pincer | chelae, cheliped, chelicerate |
| cysto- | Greek | bladder, sac | cystoscopy, cystitis, cystic |
| cumulo- | Latin | heap, mass | cumulonimbus, cumulus, accumulation |
| cuti- | Latin | skin | cuticle, subcutaneous, cutaneous |
| caco- | Greek | bad, ill | cacophony, cacogenic, cacography |
| calci- | Latin | calcium, stone | calcium, calcify, calcination |
| calor- | Latin | heat | caloric, calorimeter, calorific |
| carpo- | Greek | wrist, fruit | carpometacarpal, carpal, pericarp |
| choreo- | Greek | dance, choreography | choreography, choreographer, choreo-graphy |
| chorio- | Greek | membrane (placenta) | choriocarcinoma, choriogenesis, chorion |
| chryso- | Greek | gold, golden | chrysanthemum, chrysography, chrysolite |
| coeno- | Greek | common, shared | coenocyte, coenobium, coenesthesia |
| coron- | Latin | crown | coronary, coronation, coronal |
| corp(o)- | Latin | body | corporeal, corporation, corpus |
| costo- | Latin | rib | costochondritis, costal, costovertebral |
| cyclo- (duplicate avoided) | Greek | circle, ring | see above |
Descriptions
co-
Very productive Latin prefix; assimilates to com-, col-, cor- before certain consonants (e.g., collaborate, compress).
circum-
Common in geographical and legal terms; means “around” or “about.”
cis-
Opposite of trans-; used in geography, genetics, and social identity.
cata-
Greek combining form with senses of “down,” “thoroughly,” or “against.”
chemo-
Widely used in medicine and biology; sometimes shortened to chem-.
chloro-
Common in chemistry and biology indicating green or chlorine.
chromo-
Used in biology and imaging; chromo- sometimes shortens to chrom-.
chrono-
Denotes time-related concepts; chron- is common variant.
chiro-
Used in medical and specialist terms relating to hands or manual practice.
chole-
Medical combining form relating to bile.
chondro-
Frequent in anatomical and pathological terms.
cardio-
Very common medical combining form; often appears as cardi-.
cine-
Used for motion-picture contexts and motion-related technical terms.
claustro-
Used for fear or confinement meanings; common in psychology.
clino-
Appears in medical and measurement contexts; sometimes cline- variant.
coelo-
Biological combining form for body cavities; spelled coel(o)- in compounds.
coleo-
Used chiefly in zoological classification (Coleoptera: beetles).
colpo-
Gynecological combining form; not to be confused with colo- (colon).
colo-
Medical combining form for the colon; colo- frequently appears in gastroenterology.
contra-
Clear adversative prefix meaning “against”; common in legal and everyday use.
counter-
Productive English prefix of opposition; often forms nouns and verbs.
crypto-
Extremely common in tech and biology for “hidden/secret”; crypto- sometimes shortens to crypt-.
cryo-
Used in science and medicine for very low temperatures.
cyclo-
Productive in science and everyday words related to circles or repetition.
cyto-
Standard biological prefix for cell-related terms.
cyber-
Modern borrowing from Greek root kybernetes; denotes digital/virtual domains.
cyano-
Common in chemistry and biology for blue pigments or compounds.
carbo-
Used in chemistry for carbon-containing compounds.
carni-
Common in biology and general vocabulary for flesh/meat meanings.
carcino-
Specialist medical prefix indicating cancerous relation.
cerebro-
Medical combining form referring to the brain.
centi-
Metric prefix indicating 1/100; widely used in measurements.
centro-
Used in mathematics and biology for center-related concepts.
cephalo-
Common in biology and medicine for head-related terms.
cele-
Combining form used in medical terms for a swelling or hernia.
cerato-
Used in paleontology and biology for horned structures.
chela-
Zoological combining form for clawed structures.
cysto-
Common in urology and pathology; denotes cyst or bladder.
cumulo-
Meteorological combining form; cumulo- shows piled or heaped structure.
cuti-
Used in dermatology; cuti- denotes skin-related terms.
caco-
Prefix meaning “bad” or “poor” quality; common in descriptive terms.
calci-
Used in chemistry, geology, and medicine for calcium-related concepts.
calor-
Combining form referring to heat; appears in physics and physiology.
carpo-
Used in anatomy (wrist) and botany (fruit) depending on context.
choreo-
Relates to dance or movement sequences.
chorio-
Medical/biological combining form related to the chorion or placenta.
chryso-
Used in zoology, botany, and descriptive terms for golden color.
coeno-
Biological combining form meaning “common” or “shared.”
coron-
Denotes crown-like structures; common in anatomy and astronomy.
corp(o)-
Body-related combining form; corpo- and corp- appear in many compounds.
costo-
Medical/anatomical combining form referring to ribs.
cyclo- (duplicate avoided)
Please see the cyclo- entry above.