What does andro mean?
Andro- is a combining form borrowed from ancient Greek that means 'man' or 'male'. It comes from the Greek noun anēr (genitive andros), meaning an adult male human being, and it serves as a building block for a family of English words rather than standing on its own. Speakers encounter it most often in scientific and scholarly vocabulary: android denotes something resembling a man, androgen names the hormones that produce male traits, polyandry describes marriage involving multiple husbands, and misandry refers to hatred or dislike of men. Because andro- specifically signals maleness, it contrasts with gyno- (woman) and anthro- (human being more broadly), a distinction worth keeping in mind when decoding unfamiliar terms. Recognizing this small but productive root makes a wide range of biological, sociological, and technical vocabulary far easier to interpret.
combining form (prefix)A combining form of Greek origin meaning 'man' or 'male', attached to other elements to build words such as android, androgen, and polyandry. It appears almost exclusively within larger words rather than standing alone in English.
- A combining form meaning 'man' or 'male', as in android, androgen, and polyandrous.
"The root andro gives us 'android,' literally something shaped like a man."
"The suffix -gyny pairs with andro- in 'polyandry,' the practice of a woman having multiple husbands."
"In biology, hormones such as testosterone are classed as androgens because they promote male characteristics."
Android literally means 'man-shaped' — the same Greek root for 'male' hiding inside your smartphone's name.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of andro
Andro- derives from the ancient Greek noun anēr, whose genitive stem andros means 'of a man'. Greek used it freely in compounds, and English absorbed many of these through learned borrowing during the Renaissance and later scientific periods, producing words like android and androgen. It shares its ultimate Indo-European heritage with related roots seen in words such as polyandry and misandry, all preserving the core sense of 'male'.
How andro is actually used
Andro- is a bound combining form: it does not function as an independent word in standard English and appears only at the start of compound terms, chiefly in scientific, medical, and academic vocabulary.
Easily confused with andro
Anthro- derives from Greek anthropos ('human being') and refers to humankind generally, whereas andro- derives from aner/andros and refers specifically to males.