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Copro- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “dung,” “feces,” or “excrement.” That is, poop. It is used in technical terms, especially in biology, medicine, and psychiatry.

Copro- comes from the Greek ��ó����Dz�, meaning “dung.”

By extension, copro- can also indicate “obscenity” such as coprolalia, “excessive use of scatological language.” Scatological means “preoccupied with obscenity, especially in the form of references to excrement.” The combining form scato-, from another Greek root for “dung” (����ô��), is used similarly to copro-.

What are variants of copro-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, copro- becomes copr-, as in copremesis.

One example of a scientific term that features the combining form copro– is coprology, also known as scatology, “the study of or preoccupation with excrement or obscenity.” The word can also refer to the study of fossil excrement.

The first part of the word, copro-, means “dung, excrement.” The second part of the word, -logy, indicates branches of science, bodies of knowledge, or areas of study. Coprology, then, literally translates to “the study of dung.” (Now you can go out there and impress your friends with this fun fact.)

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

• coprolagnia
• coprolite
• coprolith
• coprophagous
• coprophagy
• coprophilia
• coprophilous
• coprophobia
• coprostasis
• coprozoa

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

• colpo-
• corp.
• cupro-

Not every word that begins with the exact letters copro- is necessarily using the combining form copro- to denote “excrement.” Coprocessor and coproduce are two, very un-dung-y examples. Learn what these mean and where they come from at our entries for the words.

The combining form -phobia means “fear.” What does coprophobia involve?