Etymology: < ancient Greek -ώδης, -ῶδες, suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘like, of the nature of’, used as equivalent to -οειδής (see -oid suffix), as in ancient Greek σαρκώδης fleshy, ὑλώδης woody, ϕυλλώδης leaflike, but originally with the sense ‘smelling’, as in ancient Greek εὐώδης sweet-smelling, κάκωδης bad-smelling < the root ὀδ- to smell (see odmyl n.). Compare post-classical Latin -odium, French -ode (formations in which are found from the early 19th cent.).The ancient Greek -ω- is due to lengthening of the initial syllable of the second element of a compound. Attested in some nouns borrowed from Greek (sometimes via post-classical Latin nouns in -ōdium ), as cladode (see cladodium n.), geode n., phyllode n., sarcode n.; further in nouns borrowed from post-classical Latin nouns in -ōdium , as staminode n. Formations are found from the 19th cent.

Etymology: < ancient Greek ὁδός way, path, travel < the same Indo-European base as Sanskrit sāda seat on a horse, sad- to sit, Old Church Slavonic xodŭ going, walk, journey, xoditi to go, Russian xod, xodit′ in the same senses (and similar forms in most Slavonic languages).Occurring first in the early 19th cent. in anode n., cathode n., electrode n., in which the original reference was to the path taken by electric current on leaving the positive or negative pole. The suffix was used in the later 19th and early 20th centuries in the names of thermionic valves with a specified number of electrodes, as diode n., triode n., tetrode n., pentode n., etc. (with two, three, four, five, etc., electrodes). Certain of the latter terms, e.g. diode n., hexode n., triode n., tetrode n., were originally coined directly from the Greek to describe forms of multiplex telegraphy.