Hydro
/ˈhaɪ.droʊ/noun
A combining form or informal term relating to water.
Did you know?Hydro- comes from Greek hydōr, a word tied to the same ancient root that also lives in English words like water and even the scientific term hydrogen, literally “water-former.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wed-
“to water, to wet”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wódr̥
“water”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὕδωρ (hydōr)
“water”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὑδρο- (hydro-)
“combining form meaning water”
Modern English
English
hydro
“a prefix or informal word relating to water, or to hydroelectric power”