Etymology

-o-

Today it means: A linking vowel inserted interconsonantally between two morphemes, to ease pronunciation, without contributing to the meaning. It frequently joins words or combining forms of Ancient Greek or Classical Latin origin in the classical compounds of New Latin and international scientific vocabulary, but it can also be used to join modern terms and even abbreviations, either formally or informally. Full definition →

Latin -o- ← Ancient Greek -ο-
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-o- · interfix1

  1. Ancient Greek · derived from-ο-
  2. Latin · borrowed from-o-
  3. English today-o-

Adopted from Latin -o-, originating ultimately from Ancient Greek -ο- (-o-). In English, the connective is found from the Middle English period in direct borrowings from Latin. Direct formations of English terms with the connective, always combining Greek or Latin roots, appear from the 16th or 17th century. From the 18th century, the suffix becomes productive in compounds where the second element is English. From about 1800, formations on all sorts of stems become common.

-o- · interfix2

Designated in the USAN guidelines for non-proprietary names of monoclonal antibodies.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.