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Chryso- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “gold” and sometimes applied to various greenish hues. It is often used in medical and scientific terms, including in mineralogy.

Chryso- comes from the Greek �������̄��ó��, meaning “gold.” The Greek �������̄��ó�� also helped form the �������̄��������í��, source of the word chrysalis. A chrysalis is the hard-shelled pupa of a moth or butterfly, so named because some pupae can have a goldish sheen.

What are variants of chryso-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, chryso- becomes chrys-, as in chryselephantine.

An example of a scientific term that uses the combining form chryso- is chrysolite, an olive-green mineral also known as olivine.

As we know, chryso- means “gold.” What about –lite? It comes from the Greek ��í�ٳ�Dz�, meaning “stone.” Ultimately coming into English from the Greek �������̄��ó�����ٳ�Dz�, chrysolite literally translates to “gold stone,” a reference to the mineral’s grayish green hue.

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

• chrysoberyl
• chrysocolla (using the equivalent form of chryso- in Greek)
• chrysoderma
• chrysophenine
• chrysophyte
• chrysoprase
• chrysotherapy (gold therapy, which is using gold salts to help treat such diseases as rheumatoid arthritis)

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

• Christo-
• chondrio-
• chylo-
• crystallo-

A chrysophyte is a type of algae. Based on the meaning of chryso-, what color can chrysophytes be?