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chiro-, chir-
= Gr. χειρο- combining form of χείρ hand, appearing in Greek in a very large number of words; several of these were adopted in Latin with the spelling chiro-, e.g. chīrographum, chīromantia, chīronomia, chīrothēca, chīrūrgia, and have thus passed into the modern langs.; many more have been taken by these directly from Greek, e.g. chirocracy, chiroscopy, chirosophy, chirotechny, or formed from Greek elements and on Greek analogies, as chiropodist, chirosopher. In modern technical terms, esp. those of botany and zoology, the spelling is often cheir-, e.g. cheiranthus, cheiroptera, cheirotherium.
In words thoroughly naturalized in Latin, CH was treated as C, and had in Romanic the phonetic history of c before i: hence such medL. forms as cirographum, cirogryllus, cirotheca, ciromancia, cirurgianus, also written cyro-, and It. and OF. and Eng. forms in ciro-, cyro-. But, in most words, modern scholarship has restored the ch- spelling and k pronunciation: see however chirurgeon, surgeon.
The more important of these derivatives follow in their alphabetical order; a few trivial ones are given here: ˌchirocosˈmetics n. pl. [Gr. κοσµητικός; see cosmetic], the art of adorning the hands. † ˈchirogram [see -gram], used by Bulwer for a diagram illustrating chironomy. chiro-ˈgymnast [Gr. γυµναστής; see gymnast], an apparatus for exercising the fingers for pianoforte playing. ˈchiromys, cheiromys [Gr. µῦς mouse], the aye-aye of Madagascar. ˈchiroplast [Gr. πλάστης moulder, modeller], an apparatus devised by J. B. Logier in 1814 for keeping the hands in a correct position in pianoforte playing; hence ˈchiroplastic a. ˌchiropoiˈetic a. [Gr. ποιητικός making, f. ποιεῖν to make, do], ? surgical. † chiˈroponal a. [Gr. πόνος toil + -al1], pertaining to or involving manual labour (obs.). † chiroˈscopical a. [Gr. -σκοπος inspector, examiner], pertaining to palmistry.
1819Coleridge in Lit. Rem. (1836) II. 119 Gloves of chicken skin..were at one time a main article in chiro-cosmetics. 1644Bulwer Chirol. & Chiron. 26 Types and Chirograms whereby this Art might be better illustrated then by words. 1845Mag. Sc. VI. 137 The Chirogymnast..ought..to cause the different parts of the hand to acquire..dexterity. 1882Pop. Sc. Monthly Mag. XX. 423 The chiromys..may be regarded as the last survivor. 1842S. Lover Handy Andy i. 9 As for the horse, his legs stuck through the bridge, as though he had been put in a chiroplast. Ibid., The horse's first lesson in chiroplastic exercise. 1864Spohr Autobiog. ii. 98 His [Logier's] chiroplast, a machine by means of which the children get accustomed to a good position of the arms and hands. 1866Athenæum No. 2025. 215/2 Logier with his ‘cheiroplast’. 1823H. H. Wilson Ess. (1864) I. 391 Operations of the chiropoietic art..as extraction of the stone in the bladder. 1651Biggs New Disp. 16 ⁋44 Chiroponall pyrotechny. 1652Gaule Magastrom. 187 What a chyroscopical horoscope..of jugling, legerdemain, and superstitious imposture! |