dactylo-

The combining form dactylo– is used like a prefix meaning “finger” or “toe.” It is very occasionally used in medical and technical terms.

The form dactylo– comes from Greek dáktylos, meaning “finger” or “toe.” In poetry, the metrical foot known as a dactyl also derives from this same Greek root. Learn more at our entry for dactyl.

What are variants of dactylo-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, dactylo– becomes dactyl-, as in dactylitis. The form dactylo– is also related to –dactylous, as in tetradactylous, and –dactyly, as in monodactyly.

A technical term that features the form dactylo– is dactylogram, “a fingerprint.”

The form dactylo– means “finger” or “toe,” while the –gram portion of the word here means “drawing,” from Greek grámma. Dactylogram literally means “drawing of a finger.”

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

• dactylography
• dactylology
• dactylomegaly
• dactyloscopy

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

• dacryo-
• deca-

The combining form –megaly means “irregular enlargement.” With this in mind, what is the medical condition of dactylomegaly?