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Sclero- is a combining form used like a prefix to mean “hard” or as a form of sclera, the white outer layer of the eyeball. Sclero- is often used in medical and scientific terms.

Sclero- comes from the Greek �����ŧ��ó��, meaning “hard.” The Greek �����ŧ��ó�� also helps form the Greek word �����ḗrō������, literally meaning “hardening” and source of the English word sclerosis. You may have encountered sclerosis in the word atherosclerosis, the hardening of the arteries.

What are variants of sclero-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, sclero- becomes scler-, as in sclerema.

An example of a word you may have encountered that features sclero- ������scleroderma, a disease in which connective tissue in the body becomes hardened and rigid.

We know that sclero- means “hard.” The second part of the word, -derma, means “skin,” used especially for skin disorders. Scleroderma, then, literally translates to “hard skin.”

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

• scleroblastema
• sclerocornea
• sclerodactyly
• sclerogenous
• scleromalacia
• scleroprotein
• scleronychia
• sclerotomy

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

• sacro-
• sarco-
• sphero-

What does a sclerometer, a tool used in mineralogy, measure? ��