TETRA Definition & Meaning

tetra

[te-truh]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

any of several tropical, freshwater fishes of the family Characidae, often kept in aquariums.

tetra-

a combining form meaning “four,” used in the formation of compound words.
tetrabranchiate.

tetra

/ ˈ��ɛ�ٰ�ə /

noun

any of various brightly coloured tropical freshwater fishes of the genus Hemigrammus and related genera: family Characidae (characins)

tetra-

combining form

four
tetrameter

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of tetra¹

1930–35; shortening of New Latin Tetragonopterus former genus name. See tetragon, -o-, -pterous

Origin of tetra²

< Greek, combining form of ��é�ٳٲ��, neuter of ��é�ٳٲ�� four

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of tetra¹

C20: short for New Latin tetragonopterus (former genus name), from _tetragon + _-o- + -pterous, from Greek pteron wing

Origin of tetra²

from Greek

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

To study the evolution of smell-driven behaviours in a laboratory setting, the researchers chose two closely related fish of the Mexican tetra species -- the blind cave-dwelling subtype, and its sighted surface river-dwelling counterpart.

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When floods carried some Mexican tetra river fish, Astyanax mexicanus, into about 30 different caves, other fish of the same species remained at the surface, providing a natural study in contrasting evolutionary paths.

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This form of pork-barrel politics is one reason so much of Japan's coastline is blighted by tetra pods, its rivers walled with grey concrete.

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But hunting in groups can enable predators to hunt prey that would otherwise be too fast, such as the tiny tetras.

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Small fish, called tetras, are the target of the attack; they fly into the air and land stunned and motionless on the water.

From

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When To Use

What does tetra- mean?

Tetra- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “four.” It is used in a great many scientific and other technical terms.In chemistry, tetra- is specifically used to indicate four atoms or four groups of atoms in compounds, e.g., tetrachloride.Tetra- ultimately comes from the Greek ��é�ٳٲ��, meaning “four.” The name of the classic video game Tetris is based in part on this Greek root. Find out the rest of the story of how Tetris got its name here.The Latin word for “four” is quattor, source of the combining forms quadr-, quadra-, quadri-, and quadru-. Learn about their specific applications in our 51�Թ�s That Use articles for the forms.What are variants of tetra-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, tetra- becomes tetr-, as in tetracid.

tetr-tetrabasic

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