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pneumo-

pneumo-

7.7
Related to the lungs or to air
  • other
  • /nuːmoʊ/
  • Specialized
: pneumo-
  • When learning about respiratory conditions, we frequently see the prefix pneumo- in terms like 'pneumothorax'.

Examples

  • The prefix pneumo- is used in medical terms like pneumothorax and pneumonia.

  • In biology class, we learned that pneumo- refers to the lungs or air.

  • Doctors often encounter words beginning with pneumo- when discussing lung diseases.

  • The term pneumonia refers to an infection of the lungs.

  • Doctors often treat pneumothorax with a chest tube.

  • The prefix pneumo- indicates terms that are related to the lungs, such as in 'pneumonia'.

  • Medical texts often use the prefix pneumo- to refer to air or the lungs in various terminologies.

Synonyms

atmo-
vspneumo-
  • Specialized
1 7.0

A word part at the start meaning air or atmosphere used in scientific words

focuses on the lungs rather than the surrounding air or atmosphere
aero-
vspneumo-
  • Specialized
4.1

A word part placed at the start to show a relation to air or oxygen

is specific to the lungs rather than general air relations

Surface Forms

pneumo- main

Etymology

Pneumo- comes from the old Greek word pneuma, which means 'breath' or 'spirit'. So pneumo- is used in medical words about the lungs or air, like pneumonia and pneumothorax, and this helps you remember the link to 'breath'.