astro-
/æs.trəʊ-/ (bre, ipa) · /æs.troʊ-/ (ame, ipa)
astro- — prefix
1. relating to stars, planets, space, or astronomy; also used to describe something
relating to stars, planets, space, or astronomy; also used to describe something shaped like a star.
Ayanda dreams of becoming an **astronaut** and visiting the Moon one day.
astronaut — compound of astro- + naut (star-sailor)
Samira bought a telescope for her **astronomy** class so she could observe the rings of Saturn.
astronomy — astro- + nomy (star-arrangement)
Abigail checked her **astrology** chart every morning to see what the stars predicted.
The museum's **astrobiology** section explains how scientists search for life on other planets.
文法句型
astro- + noun (astronaut, astronomer)
astro- + adjective root (astronomical)
用法筆記
This prefix comes from Greek and is used mainly in scientific and academic vocabulary. Many common words formed with 'astro-' enter English through Latin or directly from Greek compound words. The prefix can also suggest a star-like shape (from the Greek 'astron' meaning 'star').
常見錯誤
astro- — combining form
1. a combining form meaning star, the heavens, outer space, or astronomy, used to b
a combining form meaning star, the heavens, outer space, or astronomy, used to build specialised technical and scientific compound words.
Mateo chose to specialise in **astrophysics** because he wanted to understand how galaxies form.
astrophysics — combined from astro- + physics
Dr. Okafor, an astrochemist at Kyoto University, analyses the molecules found in the clouds between dying stars.
Folami presented her research in **astrobiology** at the international space-science conference in Singapore.
The Watanabe family visited the observatory and saw an exhibit about the **astronomical** discoveries that revealed planets beyond our solar system.
Rin used **astrodynamics** software to calculate how a satellite could reach Mars using the least amount of fuel.
文法句型
astro- + -physics (astrophysics)
astro- + -chemistry (astrochemistry)
astro- + -nautical (astronautical)
用法筆記
As a combining form, 'astro-' attaches to other Greek- or Latin-derived roots to form specialised scientific terms. Unlike a regular English prefix, it often appears as the first part of a compound whose second part is also a bound root (-nomy, -logy, -physics). These compounds are typically uncountable nouns in their scientific sense.