*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of xeno-

Etymology tree Pre-Greekder. Proto-Hellenic *ksénwos Ancient Greek ξένϝος (xénwos) Ancient Greek ξένος (xénos)der. English xeno- Derived from Ancient Greek ξένος (xénos, “foreign, of a stranger”).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
prefix

Having to do with foreigners. · Relating to strangers or strangeness. · From a foreign place. · From a donor of another species.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Pre-Greekder. Proto-Hellenic *ksénwos Ancient Greek ξένϝος (xénwos) Ancient Greek ξένος (xénos)der. English xeno- Derived from Ancient Greek ξένος (xénos, “foreign, of a stranger”).

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "grc:ξένος<t:foreign, of a stranger>",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nPre-Greekder.\nProto-Hellenic *ksénwos\nAncient Greek ξένϝος (xénwos)\nAncient Greek ξένος (xénos)der.\nEnglish xeno-\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"foreign, of a stranger\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"lang_name\" : \"Pre-Greek\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang\" : \"qsb-grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Hellenic\", \"term\" : \"*ksénwos\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grk-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"ξένϝος\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"ξένος\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"xeno-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"xeno-\">\nDerived from Ancient Greek ξένος (xénos, “foreign, of a stranger”)."
    },
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        "2": ":der",
        "3": "grc:ξένος<t:foreign, of a stranger>",
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      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nPre-Greekder.\nProto-Hellenic *ksénwos\nAncient Greek ξένϝος (xénwos)\nAncient Greek ξένος (xénos)der.\nEnglish xeno-\nDerived from Ancient Greek ξένος (xénos, “foreign, of a stranger”)."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*ksénwos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Hellenic/ksénwos"
    ],
    [
      "ξένϝος",
      "ξένϝος#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "ξένος",
      "ξένος#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "ξένος",
      "ξένος#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "Having to do with foreigners.",
        "Relating to strangers or strangeness.",
        "From a foreign place.",
        "From a donor of another species."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
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    }
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for xeno- →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-eGVuby0