gracil

Gracil is a Latin-derived combining form used in scientific terminology to indicate slenderness. It is rooted in the Latin gracilis, meaning slender or graceful, and is related to the English adjective gracile. While gracil is not commonly used as an independent word in English, the form appears as a stem in many technical terms and taxonomic names.

In biology, gracil- is employed as a descriptive prefix or root in words such as graciliform (slender-shaped), gracillate (having slender, threadlike parts), and gracile (slender in physique). It often contrasts with forms such as robust or claviform in discussions of morphology or fossil anatomy, where gracile organisms or parts are slender and lightly built.

The root also appears in the names of some taxa. For example, Gracilaria is a genus of red algae in the family Gracilariaceae; the name reflects a slender, graceful habit of the thalli. In botany and zoology, many species epithets or genus names employ gracil- to signal slender morphology.

See also: gracilis, gracile, gracility, gracilliform.