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hetero- or heter-

pref.

1. Other; different: heterochromatic.

2. Containing different kinds of atoms: heterocyclic.

[Greek, from heteros, other; see sem-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

het·er·o

(hĕtə-rō′)

n. pl. het·er·os
Informal

A heterosexual person.

heter·o adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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