geront

Geront is a combining form used in English to denote aging or elderly matters. Derived from the Greek geron, meaning "old man," it functions as a prefix in technical and scientific terms rather than as a standalone word. The form appears in a range of disciplines that study or address aging and the concerns of older populations.

Common derivatives include gerontology, the multidisciplinary study of aging and its biological, psychological, and social aspects; a gerontologist, a professional who studies aging; and gerontocracy, a form of government in which power is held by elders. The adjectives gerontic or gerontological describe things related to old age or the study of aging, while gerontophile refers to a person with an attraction to older people. The root also appears in other compounds such as gerontopsychiatry or gerontogeriatrics in some specialized or historical usages.

In medical and social contexts, geront- terms are often contrasted with geri- forms; for example, geriatrics is the medical field focused on aging patients, and geriatric medicine refers to clinical care for older adults. The geront root is used across biology, psychology, sociology, and policy discussions to address aging processes, age-related conditions, and the societal implications of increasingly aging populations.