xantho-

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

In some instances, xantho- specifically represents the chemicals xanthine and xanthic acid.

Xantho- comes from the Greek xanthós, meaning “yellow.” Xanthan gum is a substance with a variety of applications, including as a food additive. It is a substance exuded by colonies of the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris. The name of the genus, Xanthomonas, comes from the Greek xanthós (“yellow”) and monas (“entity”), a reference to the yellow color of the bacteria colonies.

What are variants of xantho-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, xantho- becomes xanth-, as in xanthene.

Xanthophyll, also known as lutein, is a type of yellow-red alcohol found in the petals of marigold and certain other flowers, egg yolk, algae, and corpora lutea.

The xantho- portion of the word refers to “yellow.” The second portion of the word, -phyll, means “leaf.” Xanthophyll literally translates to “yellow leaf.”

Xanthophyll was formed in French using the equivalent form of xantho- in that language.

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

• xanthochroid
• xanthochromatic
• xanthoderma
• xanthogranuloma
• xanthophore

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

• xeno-
• xero-
• xylo-

The combining form -derma is used to name skin disorders. What, generally speaking, does the medical condition xanthoderma involve?