Prefix · difference · other
Means "different" or "other": heterogeneous, heterodox, heteronym, heterozygous.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Hetero- comes from Greek "heteros" (other, different) and appears in scientific and academic vocabulary. Heterogeneous = of non-uniform composition (different parts); heterodox = of non-orthodox belief (different from official doctrine); heteronym = same spelling, different pronunciation; heterozygous = carrying two different alleles. Spanish uses the same prefix: heterogéneo, heterodoxo, heterónimo, heterocigoto.
Hetero- is the direct antonym of homo- (same). Where homo- signals uniformity, hetero- signals diversity: homogeneous (all the same) vs. heterogeneous (different parts); homozygous (identical alleles) vs. heterozygous (different alleles); orthodox (conforming to doctrine) vs. heterodox (differing from official doctrine). Learning the two together reinforces both.
Combines with Greek roots in scientific and academic contexts:
Pronunciation: /ˈhet.ər.oʊ/. Spanish uses the identical prefix: heterogéneo (heterogeneous), heterodoxo (heterodox), heterónimo (heteronym), heterocigoto (heterozygous). Direct antonym of homo- (same).
hetero-/ˈhet.ər.oʊ/
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"Heterogeneous" (from Greek "genos" = kind/origin): a mixture or group of different parts — general use in chemistry, social sciences, everyday language. "Heterogenous" is a medical variant meaning the same thing, preferred in biology and anatomy. In most academic and everyday contexts, "heterogeneous" is the correct form.
A trick to remember it
Hetero- = different, other. Direct antonym of homo- (same). Spanish cognates: heterogéneo (heterogeneous), heterodoxo (heterodox), heterónimo (heteronym). Rule: where homo- says "same", hetero- says "different".
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
A heterodox thinker holds views that...
The prefix hetero- means "different" or "other": heterogeneous, heterodox, heteronym, heterozygous. In Spanish it usually maps to hetero-.
The prefix hetero- is pronounced /ˈhet.ər.oʊ/. For example, "heterogeneous".
"geneous" becomes "heterogeneous". It is a typical example of the hetero- prefix.
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