pho·to

[foh-toh]
noun, plural pho·tos.
2.
Informal. photo finish.

Origin:
1855–60; shortened form of photograph

Dictionary.com Unabridged

photo-

a combining form meaning “light” ( photobiology ); also used to represent “photographic” or “photograph” in the formation of compound words: photocopy.
Also, especially before a vowel, phot-.


Origin:
< Greek, combining form of phôs (genitive phōtós)

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Photo is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Collins
World English Dictionary
photo (ˈfəʊtəʊ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n , pl -tos
short for photograph

photo-
 
combining form
1.  of, relating to, or produced by light: photosynthesis
2.  indicating a photographic process: photolithography
 
[from Greek phōs, phōt- light]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

photo
1860, shortening of photograph. The verb is first recorded 1868, from the noun. Photo finish is attested from 1936. Photo opportunity first recorded 1974.

photo-
comb. form meaning "light" or "photographic," from Gk. photo-, comb. form of phos (gen. photos) "light," from PIE base *bha- "to shine" (see phantasm).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

photo- or phot-
pref.

  1. Light; radiant energy: photosynthesis.

  2. Photographic: photofluorography.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
photo-  
A prefix that means "light," as in photoreceptor.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
The photo session had nothing to do with his work but served to memorialize the
  skeleton's sheer structural beauty.
Your photo is a vital part of your visa application.
Winter may arrive early, too--as shown in the photo at right.
His work has appeared in magazines and photo festivals on five continents.
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