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Definition of Cyto
Medically reviewed by Min Clinic Staff | Updated: January 2026
Cyto-: Prefix denoting a cell. "Cyto-" is derived from the Greek "kytos" meaning "hollow, as a cell or container." From the same root come the combining form "-cyto-" and the suffix "-cyte" which similarly denote a cell.
Cyto-, -cyto- and -cyte enter into many words and terms used in medicine, including adipocyte, agranulocytosis, cytogenetics, cytokine, cytomegalovirus, cytometry, cytoplasm, cytotoxic, elliptocytosis, erythrocyte, granulocyte, histiocyte, leukocyte, lymphocyte, lymphocytosis, macrocyte, megakaryocyte, melanocyte, monocyte, oocyte, pancytopenia, phagocyte, spherocytosis, thrombocyte, and thrombocytopenia.