Prefix · anatomy · stomach
Means "stomach" or relating to food and digestion: gastronomy, gastritis, gastropod.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Gastro- comes from Greek "gaster/gastros" (stomach, belly) and appears in both medical and culinary vocabulary. Gastronomy = the laws of the stomach (the art of fine eating); gastritis = inflammation of the stomach; gastrointestinal = of the stomach and intestines; gastropod = stomach-foot (snails move on a muscular foot beneath the belly). Spanish uses the same prefix: gastronomía, gastritis, gastrointestinal, gasterópodo.
In medicine: gastritis (inflammation), gastroenterology (study of the digestive system), gastrointestinal. In food culture: gastronomy (the art of good eating), gastropub (a pub with quality food). In zoology: gastropod (snails and slugs). The prefix bridges medical science and culinary culture with the same root.
Combines with Greek and Latin roots in medical and culinary contexts:
Pronunciation: /ˈɡæs.troʊ/. Spanish uses the identical prefix: gastronomía (gastronomy), gastritis (gastritis), gastrointestinal, gasterópodo (gastropod), gastroenterología (gastroenterology).
gastro-/ˈɡæs.troʊ/
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"Gastronomy" (gastro- = stomach + Greek "nomos" = law): literally "the laws of the stomach" — the study of food and culture. It covers street food and regional traditions, not just fine dining. Spanish cognate: gastronomía.
A trick to remember it
Gastro- = stomach, food. Direct Spanish cognates: gastronomía (gastronomy), gastritis (gastritis), gastrointestinal, gasterópodo (gastropod). The same prefix works identically in both languages.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
What are gastropods?
The prefix gastro- means "stomach" or relating to food and digestion: gastronomy, gastritis, gastropod. In Spanish it usually maps to gastro-.
The prefix gastro- is pronounced /ˈɡæs.troʊ/. For example, "gastronomy".
"nomy" becomes "gastronomy". It is a typical example of the gastro- prefix.
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