51�Թ�

Scler- is a combining form used like a prefix to mean “hard” or as a form of sclera, the white outer layer of the eyeball. Scler- is often used in medical and scientific terms.

Scler- comes from the Greek �����ŧ��ó��, meaning “hard.” The Greek �����ŧ��ó�� also helps form the Greek word �����ḗrō������, literally meaning “hardening” and source of the English word sclerosis. You may have encountered sclerosis in the word atherosclerosis, the hardening of the arteries.

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

Want to know more? Read our 51�Թ�s That Use sclero– article.

One example of a medical term that features scler- is sclerectomy, an excision of part of the sclera of the eyeball.

Scler- can refer to the sclera of the eyeball. The second part of the word, -ectomy, means “excision.” So, sclerectomy literally means “sclera removal.”

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

• scleradenitis
• sclerenchyma
• scleritis
• scleroma

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

• sacr-
• sarc-
• spher-

Some plants have a protective tissue known as sclerenchyma. Based on one of the meanings of scler-, what texture would you expect this tissue to have?������