Go to 'thermo-' entry Go to 'dino-' entry Go to 'chondro-' entry Go to 'aero-' entry Go to '-logy' entry Go to 'thaumato-' entry Go to 'nano-' entry Go to '-sophy' entry Go to 'bucco-' entry Go to '-ism' entry Go to '-lysis' entry Go to 'galacto-' entry Go to '-anthropy' entry Go to 'pneumo-' entry Go to '-ploitation' entry Go to '-lithic' entry Go to '-sepalous' entry Go to 'onco-' entry Go to '-parous' entry Go to 'dermato-' entry Go to 'multi-' entry Go to 'dodeca-' entry Go to '-zoon' entry Go to 'vermi-' entry Go to 'crystallo-' entry Go to 'biblio-' entry Go to 'eco-' entry Go to 'juxta-' entry Go to 'facio-' entry
Affixes: the building blocks of English
Affixes: the building blocks of English
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macro-

Long; large.

[Greek makros, long, large.]

This combining form is widely distributed, especially in scientific and technical contexts. The macrocosm (Greek kosmos, world) is the universe or the whole cosmos; a macromolecule contains a very large number of atoms, such as a protein, nucleic acid, or synthetic polymer; macrophotography produces photographs of small items larger than life size; macroevolution is major evolutionary change. Macro can appear as a free-standing word, as in macro lens, one used in macrophotography, or as an abbreviation of the computer term macro instruction, a single instruction that expands into a set to perform a given task. Also related is macron, a written or printed mark (̄) used to indicate a long vowel or a stressed vowel in verse. Macro- is often contrasted with micro-.

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