Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

paleo-

/ˈpæl.i.ə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.24 in modern English

Syllables
pa-le-o-
IPA
/ˈpæl.i.ə/
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
4
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

prefix

Old; ancient or primitive.

prefix

Related to paleontology.

prefix

Used to form informal names of taxa; basal.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kʷelh₁-der.? Ancient Greek πάλαι (pálai) Ancient Greek -ος (-os) Ancient Greek πᾰλαιός (pălaiós)der. English paleo- From Ancient Greek παλαιός (palaiós, “old”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: παλαιός

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈpæl.i.ə/
  • British English: /ˈpæl.i.əʊ/

Inflected Forms

palaeo- (alternative) palae- (alternative) pale- (alternative) palæo- (alternative) palæ- (alternative)

Antonyms

neo-

Questions

How do you pronounce paleo-?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpæl.i.ə/.
What does paleo- mean?
Old; ancient or primitive.
Where does paleo- come from?
It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce paleo-

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “paleo-”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpæl.i.ə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “paleo-”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “paleo-” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.