ostraco-comb. form

Stress is usually determined by a subsequent element and vowels may be reduced accordingly; see e.g.
ostracophore n.Origin: A borrowing from Greek. Etymons: Greek ὀστρακο-, ὄστρακον.
Etymology: < ancient Greek ὀστρακο-, combining form (in e.g. ὀστρακόδερμος : see ostracoderm n. and adj.) of ὄστρακον ostracon n.; compare -o- connective.First attested in ostracology n. in the first half of the 19th cent. Apart from that it occurs in words which have their ultimate origin in scientific Latin; only a small number of these are English formations. Compare French ostraco- (formations in which are found sporadically from the late 18th cent.; compare e.g. ostracoderme ostracodermous adj.), scientific Latin ostraco- (formations in which are found from at least the first half of the 19th cent.).
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2004; most recently modified version published online December 2019).