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Xylo- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “wood.” It is used in various scientific and other technical terms.

Xylo- comes from the Greek ��ý���Dz�, meaning “wood.” This Greek root is also the direct source of such chemistry words as xylan, xylene, xylose, xylyl, and other related words.

What are variants of xylo-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, xylo- becomes xyl-, as in xyloid (using the equivalent form in Greek).

An example of a word you may have encountered that features xylo- ������xylophone, “a musical instrument consisting of a graduated series of wooden bars, usually sounded by striking with small wooden hammers.”

We know xylo- means “wood.” What about the -phone portion of the word? It’s a combining form from the Greek ���ō��ḗ meaning “voice, sound.” The combining form -phone has several meanings in English, including naming types of “a musical instrument.” Xylophone literally translates to “wooden musical instrument.”

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

• xylocarp
• xylotomy
• xylograph
• xylophage
• xylophilous
• xylorimba
• xylostroma

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

• xero-
• xiphi-
• xipho-

The combining form -phage means “a thing that devours.” What does an insect known as a xylophage eat?