Dictionary.com

-oidea

Save This Word!

a suffix used in the names of zoological classes or entomological superfamilies.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of -oidea

<New Latin, plural of Greek -oeidēs-oid; see -a1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

WORDS THAT USE -OIDEA

What does -oidea mean?

The suffixoidea means “resembling” or “like.” It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in the names of zoological classes.

The suffix –oidea comes from Greek –oeidēs, from eîdos, meaning “form.”

What are variants of –oidea?

The singular form of –oidea used in many scientific and technical terms is oid, as in cytoid. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article on –oid.

Examples of -oidea

One example of a scientific term that features the suffix –oidea is Cystoidea, an extinct class of sea creatures similar to crinoids.

The cyst part of the word means “cyst,” a scientific term for a “bag” or “pouch.” The –oidea part of the word means “resembling.” Cystoidea literally means “bag-like.”

What are some words that use the suffix –oidea?

  • Axioidea
  • Geomyoidea
  • Helicoidea
  • Hydroidea
  • Hyloidea

What are some other forms that –oidea may be commonly confused with?

Break it down!

The combining form hylo means “wood.” With this in mind, what does the scientific term Hyloidea literally mean?

How to use -oidea in a sentence

  • Nivver a bit do Oi loike th' oidea av seein' thim boofalo shot onliss Oi can do th' shootin'.

    Frank Merriwell's Bravery|Burt L. Standish

British Dictionary definitions for -oidea

-oidea

suffix forming plural proper nouns
forming the names of zoological classes or superfamiliesCrinoidea; Canoidea

Word Origin for -oidea

from New Latin, from Latin -oīdēs -oid
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK