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Hemo- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “blood.” It is used in many medical terms, especially in pathology.

Hemo- comes from the Greek ��î����, meaning “blood.”

What are variants of hemo-?

There are many variants of the combining form hemo-.

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, hemo- becomes hem-, as in hemal. Other variants of hemo- are hema-, hemato-, and hemat-.

In British English, these combining forms are often spelled with an additional a, as in haemo-, haem-, haema-, haemato-, and haemat-. Historically, these forms have been spelled with a ligature of the a and e, as in �����-.

Closely related to hemo- are -aemia, -emia, -haemia, and -hemia, which are combined to the ends of words to denote blood conditions.

You can learn all about the specific applications for each of these forms at our �������t¶��s That Use articles for them.

One example of a medical term that you may have encountered that features the combining form hemo- is hemocyte, meaning “blood cell.”

The hemo- part of hemocyte means “blood.” The second part of the word, -cyte, is a combining form that means “cell.” Hemocyte literally translates to “blood cell.”

And a hemorrhage, from the Greek �󲹾����ǰ����󲹲�í��, is “a profuse discharge of blood.” The -rhhage part of the word means “rupture, profuse discharge, abnormal flow.” So, hemorrhage is literally an “abnormal flow of blood.”

Finally, you’ve probably heard of (and hopefully haven’t gotten) a hemorrhoid, an abnormally large vein in the anorectal area. It comes from the Greek �󲹾����ǰ�����Ḿ���, meaning “discharghing blood.”

What are some words that use the combining form hemo-?

• hemoblast
• hemochrome
• hemoglobin
• hemonephrosis
• hemopathy
• hemophilia
• hemophiliac
• hemophobia
• hemolith
• hemolysis
• hemotroph

What are some other forms that hemo- may be commonly confused with?

• chemi–
• chemo-
• hemangio-
• hemi-
• homo-
• homeo-

The combining form -phobia means “fear.” With that in mind, what is hemophobia?