A hybrid word or hybridism is a word that etymologically derives from at least two languages.
The most common form of hybrid word in English combines Latin and Greek parts. Since many prefixes and suffixes in English are of Latin or Greek etymology, it is straightforward to add a prefix or suffix from one language to an English word that comes from a different language, thus creating a hybrid word.
Hybridisms were formerly often considered to be barbarisms.
Antacid – from Greek ἀντι- () 'against' and Latin acidus 'acid'; this term dates back to 1732.
Aquaphobia – from Latin aqua 'water' and Greek φοβία () 'fear'; this term is distinguished from the non-hybrid word hydrophobia, which can refer to symptoms of rabies.
Asexual – from Greek prefix a- 'without' and the Latin sexus 'sex'
Automobile – a wheeled passenger vehicle, from Greek αὐτός () 'self' and Latin mobilis 'moveable'
Beatnik – a 1950s counterculture movement centered on jazz music, coffeehouses, marijuana, and a literary movement, from English 'beat' and Russian -nik 'one who does'. The term was coined in 1958 by San Francisco newspaper columnist Herb Caen.
Biathlon – from the Latin bis 'twice' and the Greek ἆθλον () 'contest'; the non-hybrid word is diathlon
Bigamy – from Latin bis 'twice' and Greek γάμος () 'wedlock'; this term dates back to the 13th century.
Bigram – from Latin bis 'twice' and Greek γράμμα (); the non-hybrid word is digram
Bioluminescence – from the Greek βίος () 'life' and the Latin lumen 'light'
Campanology – from Latin campana 'bell' and Greek -λογία () 'the study of'
Chiral – from Greek χείρ () 'hand' and Latin adjectival suffix -ālis. The term was coined in 1894.
Chloroform – from Greek χλωρός () 'pale green' (indicating chlorine here) and Latin formica 'ant' (indicating formic acid here). The term first appeared in 1830s.
Claustrophobia – from the Latin claustrum 'confined space' and Greek φόβος () 'fear'. This term was coined in 1879.
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Neoclassical compounds are compound words composed from combining forms (which act as affixes or stems) derived from classical languages (classical Latin or ancient Greek) roots. Neo-Latin comprises many such words and is a substantial component of the technical and scientific lexicon of English and other languages, via international scientific vocabulary (ISV). For example, Greek bio- combines with Latin -graphy to form biography ("life" + "writing/recording").
International scientific vocabulary (ISV) comprises scientific and specialized words whose language of origin may or may not be certain, but which are in current use in several modern languages (that is, translingually, whether in naturalized, loanword, or calque forms). The name "international scientific vocabulary" was first used by Philip Gove in Webster's Third New International Dictionary (1961). As noted by David Crystal, science is an especially productive field for new coinages.
Scientific terminology is the part of the language that is used by scientists in the context of their professional activities. While studying nature, scientists often encounter or create new material or immaterial objects and concepts and are compelled to name them. Many of those names are known only to professionals. However, due to popularization of science, they gradually become part of common languages. Several categories of scientific terminology can be distinguished. Those are specific notions and terms, e.