paläo
Paläo is a combining form derived from the Greek palaios meaning ancient or old. It is used in scientific and scholarly terms to denote something relating to the distant past or prehistoric times.
Examples include paleontology (the science of prehistoric life), palaeobotany (the study of fossil plants), palaeogeography (the
Variant spellings reflect language tradition: paleo- (American English), palaeo- (British English and many scientific terms), palæo-
Note: paläo is not a standalone word but a combining form used to form compounds. It is