cyt/o
cell
From Greek kytos, hollow vessel, container
Meaning
What does cyt/o mean?
cyt/o is a root meaning cell. It comes from Greek kytos, hollow vessel, container.
Inside words it is spelled cyt.
Cytology studies single cells and histology studies tissues; at the end of a word the same idea is the suffix -cyte.
In real words
Medical words with cyt/o
marked by red blood cells that are smaller than normal (microcytes)
marked by red blood cells that are larger than normal (macrocytes), as in pernicious anemia
the presence of larger than normal red blood cells in the blood
variation in the size of cells, especially red blood cells
cytology
the study of cells, especially under a microscope to look for disease
toxic to cells, as are many cancer drugs and some immune cells
a lower than normal number of blood cells
the counting and measuring of cells, often with a flow cytometer
Don't mix it up
Parts easily confused with cyt/o
In the dictionary
More terms built with it
Terms in our life science dictionary that list cyt/o among their word parts.
Sources
Checked against
Written for biofideX in plain words, after checking these references:
- MedlinePlus: Appendix A: Word Parts and What They Mean
- 1.4 Common Word Roots and Combining Vowels – Medical Terminology 2e
- CYT- Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
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Cells, tissues and the body
cyt/o is one of 14 parts in this lesson. Learn them together, then take real words apart.
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