apo-

Ancient Greek

ἀπό (apó)

Away from, off, or separate from

Scientific Greek combining form

apo-

Used in compounds to express separation or removal

crin-

Ancient Greek

κρίνω (krī́nō)

To separate, distinguish, or sift

Scientific Greek combining form

-crin-

Relating to separating or secreting

Combined

apo- + -crin- → apocrine

Literally suggests a process involving separation or discharge away from the cell

Modern scientific English

apocrine

Describing glands whose secretory material buds off with part of the cell’s cytoplasm

Modern English

apocrine

Word Ancestry

apo-

Ancient Greek

ἀπό (apó)

Away from, off, or separate from

Scientific Greek combining form

apo-

Used in compounds to express separation or removal

crin-

Ancient Greek

κρίνω (krī́nō)

To separate, distinguish, or sift

Scientific Greek combining form

-crin-

Relating to separating or secreting

Combined

apo- + -crin- → apocrine

Literally suggests a process involving separation or discharge away from the cell

Modern scientific English

apocrine

Describing glands whose secretory material buds off with part of the cell’s cytoplasm

Modern English

apocrine

“

Picture a secretory cell as a tiny factory whose top edge swells into a bubble and then pinches off, carrying away a piece of the factory wall. That image explains the Greek-built name: apo- means “away,” while krīnō means “separate,” the same verb used for sorting or distinguishing things. In Athens during the fifth century BCE, a krisis was a judgment or decision because it involved separating one possibility from another; modern terms such as endocrine and exocrine preserve the same family resemblance. Apocrine glands perform their own dramatic little separation act, unlike merocrine glands, which release products without sacrificing any cytoplasm. Remember the word as a cell sending off a detachable “snout”: apo- sends it away, and -crine does the separating.

The Story

“

Picture a secretory cell as a tiny factory whose top edge swells into a bubble and then pinches off, carrying away a piece of the factory wall. That image explains the Greek-built name: apo- means “away,” while krīnō means “separate,” the same verb used for sorting or distinguishing things. In Athens during the fifth century BCE, a krisis was a judgment or decision because it involved separating one possibility from another; modern terms such as endocrine and exocrine preserve the same family resemblance. Apocrine glands perform their own dramatic little separation act, unlike merocrine glands, which release products without sacrificing any cytoplasm. Remember the word as a cell sending off a detachable “snout”: apo- sends it away, and -crine does the separating.