gymno-

Gymno- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “naked,” “bare,” “exposed.” It is used in some scientific terms, especially in botany and zoology.

Gymno- comes from the Greek gymnós, meaning “naked” and “bare.” This root is related to the word gymnasium, which is ultimately from the Greek gymnázein, meaning “to train in the nude.” Let’s hear it for workout clothes, huh?

What are variants of gymno-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, gymno- becomes gymn-, as in gymnanthous.

One example of a term from botany you may have encountered that features the combining form gymno- is gymnosperm, “a vascular plant having seeds that are not enclosed in an ovary; a conifer or cycad.” Examples of gymnosperms are pine trees and junipers. (Angiosperms, in contrast, have seeds enclosed in an ovary. They are flowering plants.)

The first part of the word, gymno-, means “naked.” The -sperm part of the word means “one having seeds,” from the Greek -spermos. So, gymnosperm literally translates to “having naked seeds.” These seeds are “naked” because they developed outside the protective case of an ovary (fruit). An example of such seeds are pine cones.

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

• gymnocarpous
• gymnogynous
• gymnoplast
• gymnorhinal (using the equivalent form of of gymno- in New Latin)
• gymnosophist (using the equivalent form of of gymno- in New Latin)

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

• gyne-
• gyneco-
• gyno-
• gyro-

The combining form -plast can variously mean “living substance, “organelle,” or “cell.” Based on the meaning of gymno-, does a gymnoplast, a mass of protoplasm, have an enclosing wall?