oligo-

See also: oligo

English

Alternative forms

• olig- (before a vowel)

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ὀλίγος (olígos, “few”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ligos (“poor, miserable”). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Prefix

oligo-

1. few, several

   Synonym: pauci-

   Synonyms: poly-; multi-, pluri-

Derived terms

English terms prefixed with oligo-

oligoacene

oligoadenosine

oligoadenylase

oligoadenylate

oligoadenylation

oligoagar

oligoalanine

oligoamide

oligoamine

oligoamnios

oligoanalgesia

oligoaniline

oligoanovulation

oliganthous

oligoantigenic

oligoanuria

oligoanuric

oligoarabinoside

oligarchy

oligoarginine

oligoarray

oligoarthralgia

oligoarthritic

oligoarthritis

oligoarticular

oligoasthenoteratozoospermia

oligoasthenoteratozoospermic

oligoastrocytoma

oligoastrocytic

oligobasic

oligobenzamide

oligobody

oligocapture

oligocardia

oligocellodextrin

oligocellular

oligocellulose

Oligocene

oligocentric

oligochitosan

oligochromatographic

oligochromatography

oligochrome

oligoclase

oligoclonal

oligoclonally

oligoclone

oligocone

oligocracy

oligocrystalline

oligoculture

oligocyclic

oligodendrimer

oligodendrimeric

oligodendritic

oligodendrogenesis

oligodendrogenic

oligodendroglia

oligodendrocyte

oligodendroglioma

oligodendrogliomagenesis

oligodendrogliomal

oligodeoxythymidine

oligodesoxyribonucleotide

oligodesoxythymidine

oligodextrin

oligodimer

oligodimerization

oligodinucleotide

oligodiol

oligodipsia

oligoduplex

oligodynamic

oligodynamics

oligoelectrolyte

oligoelement

oligoendopeptidase

oligoene

oligoepilepsy

oligoester

oligoether

oligofluorene

oligofocal

oligofraction

oligofractionate

oligofractionation

oligofructan

oligofructose

oligofunctional

oligogalactofuranoside

oligogalactoside

oligogalactosyl

oligogalacturonate

oligogalacturonic

oligogalacturonide

oligogene

oligogenesis

oligogenetic

oligogenic

oligoglucan

oligoglucosaccharide

oligoglucoside

oligoglutamine

oligoglycan

oligoglycine

oligoglycoside

oligoguanidine

oligoguanine

oligoguluronate

oligogyny

oligohaline

oligoheteromeric

oligohexamer

oligohexameric

oligohidrosis

oligohistidine

oligohumic

oligohyaluronate

oligohydramnios

oligoisolating

oligoisoprenoid

oligolactone

oligolalia

oligolamellar

oligolatry

oligolecithal

oligolectic

oligolecty

oligolignan

oligolingual

oligomania

oligomannan

oligomannosaccharide

oligomannose

oligomannoside

oligomannosyl

oligomannosylated

oligomannuronate

oligomeganephronia

oligomenorrhagia

oligomenorrhea

oligomenorrhoea

oligomer

oligomesotrophic

oligometastasis

oligometastatic

oligomethylenic

oligomicroarray

oligomictic

oligomineral

oligomorph

oligomorphic

oligomycin

oligoneural

oligoneuronal

oligonitrophilic

oligonuclear

oligonucleic

oligonucleoside

oligonucleosomal

oligonucleosome

oligonucleotide

oligonucleotidic

oligonutrient

oligodontia

olig-

oligolege

oligosemy

oligospermia

oligoovulation

oligooxopiperazine

oligoparaphenylene

oligopectin

oligopeptidase

oligopeptide

oligopeptidic

oligopetalous

oligophage

oligophagous

oligophagy

oligophenyl

oligophenylene

oligophenylenevinylene

oligophosphate

oligophyte

oligoplastic

oligoploid

oligopnea

oligopoly

oligopolymer

oligopotency

oligopotent

oligopotential

oligoprecursor

oligoprenol

oligoprenyl

oligoprimer

oligoprobe

oligoprogenitor

oligoprogression

Translations

few

• Galician: oligo-
• Irish: olaga-
• Italian: oligo-
• Polish: oligo- (pl)
• Portuguese: oligo-
• Spanish: oligo- (es)

Anagrams

• igloo, logoi, oglio

Esperanto

Etymology

Derived from Ancient Greek ὀλίγος (olígos, “few”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oˈliɡo-/
• Rhymes: -iɡo-
• Syllabification: o‧li‧go-

Prefix

oligo-

1. oligo-

Derived terms

Esperanto terms prefixed with oligo-

oligomero

Further reading

• “oligo”, in Plena Ilustrita Vortaro de Esperanto [Complete Illustrated Dictionary of Esperanto], 2020, →ISBN

Galician

Etymology

Derived from Ancient Greek ὀλίγος (olígos, “few”).

Prefix

oligo-

1. oligo-

Derived terms

From

Galician terms prefixed with oligo-

oligopolio

.

Italian

Etymology

Derived from Ancient Greek ὀλίγος (olígos, “few”).

Prefix

oligo-

1. oligo-

Derived terms

Italian terms prefixed with oligo-

oligoalobio

oligarca

oligarchia

oligoartrite

oligoastrocitoma

oligocrazia

oligodendrocito

oligodendrogliale

oligodendroglioma

oligodinamico

oligoelemento

oligoemia

oligofagia

oligofrenia

oligomenorrea

oligomero

oligominerale

oligonucleotide

oligonucleotidico

oligonutriente

oligocene

oligopsonio

oligopeptide

oligopnea

oligopolio

oligosaccaride

oligospermia

oligoterapia

oligotrofico

oliguria

Anagrams

• Oglio

Portuguese

Etymology

Derived from Ancient Greek ὀλίγος (olígos, “few”).

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /oˌli.ɡo/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɔ.li.ɡɔ/ [ɔ.li.ɣɔ]

Prefix

oligo-

1. oligo-

Derived terms

Portuguese terms prefixed with oligo-

oligarquia

oligofrenia

oligopólio

oligossacarídeo

Further reading

• “oligo-”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “oligo-”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Derived from Ancient Greek ὀλίγος (olígos, “few”).

Prefix

oligo-

1. oligo-

Derived terms

Spanish terms prefixed with oligo-

oligoartritis

oligoastenoteratozoospermia

oligodendrocito

oligoelemento

oligonucleótido

oligoovulación

oligopolio

oligosacárido

oligosilábico

oligotrófico

oliguria

oligozoospermia

Further reading

• “oligo-”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025