spiro-

prefix

spiral, helix

OriginLatin spīra ← Ancient Greek σπεῖρα (speîra) ← Proto-Indo-European *sper-yeh₂- →
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Meanings

prefix
  1. spiral, helix
  2. medicinerespiration
  3. chemistryspiro compound

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*sper-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*sper-yeh₂-
  3. Ancient Greekσπεῖρα (speîra)
  4. Latinspīra
  5. Englishspiro-

From Latin spīra + English -o-.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

spiro-. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spiro-

MLA

“spiro-.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spiro-. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spiro-,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spiro-.

Source: spiro- on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.