trich-

Trich- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “hair.” It is used in many medical and scientific terms.

Trich- comes from the Greek thríx, meaning “hair.” Another combining form meaning “hair,” and especially “bristles,” is chaeto-, which you can learn more about in our Words That Use article for that form.

What are variants of trich-?

Trich- is a variant of tricho-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.

Want to know more? Read our Words That Use tricho- article.

One example of a medical term that features the combining form trich- is trichitis, “inflammation of the hair bulbs.”

The first part of the word, trich-, means “hair.” The -itis portion of the word is a suffix used to denote inflammation of an organ, and therefore, trichitis literally translates to “hair inflammation.”

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

The following words use the equivalent form of trich- in Greek:

• trichiasis
• trichion
• trichite
• trichome

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

• dicho-
• trache-
• tri-
• tribo-
• tropho-

The suffix -oid means “resembling” or “like.” With this in mind, what does trichoid mean in everyday language?