Andro

Andro is a combining form derived from the Ancient Greek andrós meaning man. It appears in a wide range of terms across disciplines, often signaling male or human characteristics. In technology and popular usage, it is most familiar from the word android, a term formed to mean humanlike in reference to a robot or robot-like device. In science and medicine, the prefix appears in androgen, androgenic, and andrology, which deal with male hormones, male development, and the study of male health. In biology and botany, forms such as androgynous describe organisms or structures that have male and female aspects. The root is used in many compound terms that describe male traits or male physiology.

Andro is also used as a masculine given name in several cultures, particularly in the Caucasus and surrounding regions, where it can stand alone or function as a shortened form of longer names such as Andreas or Andronicus.

In modern media and branding, the root appears in Android, Google’s mobile operating system, which inherits the idea of a humanlike machine. The string also appears in many other technical terms and in place names and surnames, reflecting the broad reach of Greek-derived roots.