colo-

Colo- is a combining form used like a prefix representing the word colon, the part of the large intestine extending from the cecum to the rectum. It is often used in medical terms.

Colo- comes from the Greek kólon, meaning “large intestine.” The Greek kólon is also the source of such words as colic and colicky, a word which many parents may know all too well.

What are variants of colo-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, colo- becomes col-, as in colitis.

An example of a word you may have encountered that features colo- is coloptosis, also known as a prolapse (falling down) of the colon.

We know colo- represents “colon.” What about -ptosis? The -ptosis part of the word refers to “a falling,” from the Greek ptṓsis. Coloptosis literally translates to “colon falling.”

Another common word that features colo- is colorectal, as in colorectal cancer. The –rectal part of the word refers to the rectum. And a coloscopy is another word for a colonoscopy, an important (if very, um, personal) visual inspection of the interior of the colon with a flexible, lighted tube inserted through the rectum.

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

• colocentesis
• colocolostomy
• colopuncture
• colopexostomy
• colopexy
• coloproctitis
• coloproctostomy
• colostomy
• colostomy bag

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

• collo-
• colpo-

Not every word that begins with the exact letters colo- or col- is necessarily using the combining form colo- to represent “colon.” For starters, the word colony and related terms come from Latin for “farmer.”

As if that wasn’t confusing enough, col- is commonly used as a variant of the prefix com- (“with, together”) before the letter –l-, as in collaborate.

The combining form -tomy means “cutting” or “incision.” With this in mind, what kind of surgical procedure is a colotomy?