Paleo
/ˈpeɪ.li.oʊ/noun
A combining form meaning ancient or old, especially in scientific and historical terms.
Did you know?Paleo- comes from Greek palaios, and it survives in words that literally summon the old world back to life, from fossils to “old-style” ways of eating.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pel-
“to be old, worn, or ripe”
Ancient Greek
Greek
παλαιός (palaiós)
“old, ancient”
Late Greek
Greek
παλαιο- (palaio-)
“combining form meaning old, ancient”
19th Century
English
paleo-
“combining form used in scientific and scholarly terms for ancient or early forms”
Modern English
English
paleo
“informal shortening of paleo- in words like paleolithic or paleo diet”
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