Prefix · universe / world / order
From Greek "kosmos" (universe, order): appears in words about the universe and the world, like cosmology and cosmopolitan.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Cosmo- comes from the Greek kosmos, which meant "order" and, by extension, the universe seen as an ordered whole. Today it appears in astronomy, philosophy and everyday life, always with the idea of the universe or the whole world.
Here is a curious fact: the word cosmetics comes from kosmos too, because the Greeks used it to talk about arranging and adorning, that is, putting things in order. A word you see in every store shares its root with the universe.
Cosmo- combines with other roots to describe the universe and world-spanning concepts:
"Cosmonaut" is the Soviet/Russian equivalent of "astronaut" — a traveler of the cosmos. Both words describe space travelers from different space-age traditions.
cosmo-/ˈkɒz.moʊ/
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Greeks used "kosmos" for both the ordered universe and personal adornment. "Cosmetics" comes from "kosmein" (to arrange, to adorn), derived from "kosmos." The connection is real: both involve the idea of order and arrangement.
A trick to remember it
Picture the night sky with everything in order: cosmo- = universe, world. cosmology, cosmopolitan.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
A city described as "cosmopolitan" is best characterized as ___.
The prefix cosmo- from Greek "kosmos" (universe, order): appears in words about the universe and the world, like cosmology and cosmopolitan.
The prefix cosmo- is pronounced /ˈkɒz.moʊ/. For example, "cosmology".
"logy" becomes "cosmology". It is a typical example of the cosmo- prefix.
un-, re-, pre-, dis-, over-, in-... every beginning you need to unlock thousands of English words at once.