cheiros

Cheiros is a term used in the study of Greek roots to denote the hand. It derives from the ancient Greek noun χείρ (cheír), meaning “hand,” with the genitive singular χειρός (cheirós) giving rise to the combining forms cheir- or cheiro- in English. As a root, cheiro- appears primarily in technical and scholarly vocabulary rather than as a standalone word.

In English, cheiro- (and its variant cheir-) is used to form words related to the hand. Examples include chirology (the study or reading of the hands) and cheiography (handwriting). The palm-reading tradition is commonly referred to as chiromancy or cheirology, both drawing on the same Greek root. The related prefix chiro- (as in chiropractic or chiropody) also traces to the same hand-origin root, illustrating how the same Greek source has influenced multiple branches of science and practice.

Cheiros itself is not widely used as an independent English word today; it functions mainly as a linguistic root in discussions of Greek vocabulary and in the construction of compound terms. Its significance lies in illustrating how a single ancient root has permeated medical, occult, and linguistic terminology through the forming of various hand-related terms. See also chirology, chiromancy, cheiography, chiropody.