Word part · Greek combining form
The Greek combining form bio
Means: life.
At a glance
- Part
- bio
- Meaning
- life
- Layer
- Greek: Combining forms behind science words, with spellings like ph and ch.
Pairs with graph and logy for two common school words: biography, biology.
Example words
Read each word, then its sum: the parts that build it, and what they mean together.
Colors:prefixroot or basesuffix
- auto (root or base)+bio (root or base)+graphy (root or base)→autobiography
the story of a life, written by the person who lived it
- bio (root or base)+graphy (root or base)→biography
the written story of someone's life
- bio (root or base)+graph (root or base)+er (suffix)→biographer
a person who writes the story of someone's life
- bio (root or base)+logy (root or base)→biology
the study of living things
- bio (root or base)+log (root or base)+ic (suffix)+al (suffix)→biological
having to do with living things
- bio (root or base)+de (prefix)+grade (root or base)+able (suffix)→biodegradable
able to be broken down by living things such as tiny germs
bio + de + grade + able: drop the e → biodegradable
- bio (root or base)+log (root or base)+ist (suffix)→biologist
a scientist who studies living things
Original word lists and meanings written by Literacy Trail.
Taught alongside
Parts that share a lesson with bio.
Teach word parts with ready lessons
Literacy Trail has word parts lessons with words to read, build, split and spell, and full-screen players for the student. Every plan starts with a 15-day free trial.