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Adopted from Latin-o-, originating ultimately from Ancient Greek-ο-(-o-).
In English, the connective is found from the Middle English period in direct borrowings from Latin. Direct formations of English terms with the connective, always combining Greek or Latin roots, appear from the 16th or 17th century. From the 18th century, the suffix becomes productive in compounds where the second element is English. From about 1800, formations on all sorts of stems become common.
Adopted from the thematic vowel in Ancient Greek-ο-(-o-), often used to form nominal compounds. In Ancient Greek, the connective suffix originates in compounds where the first member is thematic, such as δημοκρατία(dēmokratía), but was extended by analogy to other stems, such as μητρόπολις(mētrópolis). The suffix was borrowed as a connective into Latin, mainly in compounds of Greek origin.
The suffix becomes productive and forms new compounds in learned humanist Latin, from the Renaissance. The connective is especially productive in connecting ethnonyms or geographical terms; genuine Greek stems include Gallo-, and Syro-, but most are of medieval or modern origin, productive from the 15th century, such as Anglo-, Graeco- or Latino-.
Interfix
-o-
(post-classical Latin)Suffix forming nominal compounds (such as anglosaxonicus(“Anglo-Saxon”), from Anglus(“Angle, English”) and saxonicus(“Saxon”)).
Alternates with -u- according to Old Swedish rules of syllable weight, where -o was used after heavy syllables and -u after light.
Interfix
-o-
Genitival interfix used to link elements in some compounds.
Usage notes
Used as interfix in compounds with certain old weak feminines ending in -a. Some common ones are hälsa(“health”), e.g. hälsocentral(“health center”); kvinna(“woman”), e.g. kvinnoorganisation(“women's organisation”); känsla(“feeling”), e.g. känsloliv(“emotional life”); vecka(“week”), e.g. veckodag(“day of the week”); vila(“rest”), e.g. vilopuls(“resting heart rate”); lära(“teaching, theory”), e.g. läromedel(“teaching aids”); föda(“food, diet”), e.g. födoämne(“foodstuff”); människa(“human”), e.g. människovärde(“human dignity”); saga(“tale”), e.g. sagobok(“storybook”), etc.
Alternates with a zero interfix (vowel deletion) in some words, cf. kyrkogård(“churchyard”), but kyrktorn(“church tower”); kronofogde(“enforcement officer”), but kronblad(“petal”).
The interfix was formerly mostly confined to the written literary language, whereas the spoken colloquial language preferred compounds with no -o- or with -e- in some dialects, but forms with -o- are now common in the spoken language, and formerly colloquial pronunciations such as körrgård for kyrkogård are today less common.