pleio-

Pleio– is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “more.” It is very occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology.

Pleio– comes from Greek pleíōn, meaning “more.” The Latin cognate of pleíōn is plūs “more,” which is the source of terms such as plural and plus. To learn more, check out our entries for these two words.

What are variants of pleio-?

Pleio– is a rare variant of pleo–. An even rarer variation of pleio– is plio–. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles about pleo– and plio-.

A scientific term that features the form pleio– is pleiotropy, “the phenomenon of one gene being responsible for or affecting more than one phenotypic characteristic.”

We already know that pleio– means “more.” The –tropy part of the word denotes “turning, changing, reacting, responding,” from Greek –tropia. Pleiotropy literally translates to “changing more [characteristics].”

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

• pleiotaxy
• pleiotropic
• pleiotropic gene
• pleiotropism

What are some other forms that pleio– may be commonly confused with?

• paleo-
• plat-
• poly-

The combining form –taxy means “arrangement or order.” With this in mind, what is significant about a plant with pleiotaxy?