ecto-

See also: ecto

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἐκτός (ektós, “outside”). Sense 2 ("ghost-related") is a reinterpretation of this prefix in the word ectoplasm (“paranormal substance believed to be involved in the materialization of the dead”), for the etymology of which see there.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɛktoʊ-/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Prefix

ecto-

1. Outside.

   Synonyms: out-, ex-, exo-

   Antonyms: in-, intra-, en-/em-/im-, end-/endo-/ento-

3. (chiefly in fantasy fiction) Ghost-related.

   ecto-blaster, ectometer

   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:ecto-.

Derived terms

English terms prefixed with ecto-

ectad

ectal

ectoanthropochory

ectoantigen

ectoapyrase

ectoATPase

ectobiont

ectobiotic

ectoblast

ectoblaster

ectobronchium

ectocanthion

ectocardia

ectocellular

ectocervical

ectocervicovaginal

ectocervix

ectocingulid

ectocingulum

ectocochleate

ectocolpus

ectocommensal

ectocommensalism

ectoconchion

ectocondylar

ectocondyle

ectocoracoid

ectocornea

ectocranial

ectocranium

ectocuneiform

ectocyst

ectocytic

ectocytosis

ectoderm

ectodermal

ectodistal

ectodomain

ectochoroidea

ectental

ectoentropic

ectoenzymatic

ectoenzyme

ectepicondyle

ectethmoid

ectogenesis

ectogenic

ectogenous

ectogenual

ectogeny

ectoglenoid

ectognath

ectognathous

ectohormonal

ectohormone

ectohydric

ectohydrolytic

ectokinase

ectolateral

ectolecithal

ectoloph

ectolophid

ectomarginal

ectomaxillar

ectomedial

ectomesenchymally

ectomesenchyme

ectomesocuneiform

ectomesolophid

ectometaloph

ectometer

ectomicrobiota

ecto-mist

ectomorph

ectomorphy

ectomycorrhiza

ectomycorrhizosphere

ectoneural

ectonucleosidase

ectonucleoside

ectonucleotidase

ectonucleotide

ectostosis

ectoparasite

ectoparasitic

ectoparasitically

ectoparasitise

ectoparasitism

ectoparasitize

ectoparasitoid

ectoparasitosis

ectopeptidase

ectoperitrophic

ectophagous

ectophallic

ectophallus

ectophloic

ectophosphatase

ectophosphodiesterase

ectophosphorylation

ectophyte

ectoplacental

ectoplasm

ectoplast

ectoprotein

ectopterygoid

ectoretina

ectorhinal

ectorhizosphere

ectosagittal

ectosome

ectospermalege

ectosphere

ectostylid

ectosylvian

ectosymbiont

ectosymbiontic

ectosymbiosis

ectosymbiotic

ectoteloblast

ectotherm

ectothermy

ectotroph

ectotrophic

ectoturbinate

ectotympanic

ectoventral

ectozoic

ectozoochorous

ectozoochory

ectozoon

ectaxonic

Translations

Translations

Catalan: ecto- (ca) Finnish: ekto- French: ecto- (fr) German: ekto- (de) Greek: εκτο- (ekto-) Italian: ècto- Polish: ekto- Portuguese: ecto- Spanish: ecto-

Anagrams

• Ceto, Cote, OTEC, cote

French

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἐκτός (ektós, “outside”).

Prefix

ecto-

1. ecto-

Derived terms

French terms prefixed with ecto-

ectoblaste

ectoderme

ectogenèse

ectoparasitisme

ectoplasmique

ectosymbiose

ectosymbiote

ectosymbiotique

ectotherme

ectothermique

Italian

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἐκτός (ektós, “outside”).

Prefix

ecto-

1. ecto-

Derived terms

Italian terms prefixed with ecto-

ectoblastico

ectoblasto

ectoderma

ectoparassita

ectopatagio

ectoplasma

ectoplasmatico

ectoscopia

ectotermia

ectotermo

ectomia

Anagrams

• Ceto, Toce, ceto, cote, teco

Portuguese

Prefix

ecto-

1. ecto-

Derived terms

Portuguese terms prefixed with ecto-

ectoblasto

ectomorfia

ectomorfo

ectoparasita

ectoplasma

ectoplástico

Further reading

• “ecto-”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “ecto-”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Spanish

Prefix

ecto-

1. ecto-

Derived terms

Spanish terms prefixed with ecto-

ectoblasto

ectodermo

ectoparásito

ectoplasma

Further reading

• “ecto-”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025