tetra

1 of 2

noun

tet·​ra ˈte-trə 

: any of numerous small often brightly colored South American characin fishes often bred in tropical aquariums

tetra-

2 of 2

combining form

variants or tetr-

1

: four : having four : having four parts

tetravalent

2

: containing four atoms or groups (of a specified kind)

tetrachloride

Examples of tetra in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Maine Daniel Grill/tetra Images | Tetra Images | Getty Images The Pine Tree State is America’s safest, with just 29 homicides in the whole state in 2022. —Scott Cohn, CNBC, 13 July 2024

What to Look for in the Best Chlorine Shampoos When searching for the best chlorine shampoos, look for ingredients like apple cider vinegar, ethylene diamine tetra acetic-acid (EDTA), sodium thiosulfate, charcoal, and crystallized vitamin C to effectively remove chlorine. —Joseph Cheatham, Men's Health, 17 July 2023

Mexican blind cavefish, or Astyanax fasciatus, are a kind of small tetra sometimes found in home aquariums. —Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2014

The cardinal tetra, found only in the Rio Negro and Orinoco, is the most popular aquarium fish in Europe. —Sy Montgomery, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2013

The cardinal tetra is just one of many species uniquely adapted for life in Brazil’s Rio Negro. —Sy Montgomery, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2013

Because cavefish have evolved to live in an oxygen deficient environment, researchers weren't surprised to find that embryonic specimen exhibited more gene markers for hypoxia in comparison to the Mexican tetra. —Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, 11 June 2020

Jio’s milk tetra packs were puffed and dirty like someone picked them up from the mud and put them directly in the bag. —Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz India, 3 June 2020

Like Mendez, who was born with an extremely rare condition called tetra-amelia syndrome, Perrino faces a multitude of challenges every day. —BostonGlobe.com, 24 Sep. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Noun

by shortening from New Latin Tetragonopterus, former genus name, from Late Latin tetragonum quadrangle + Greek pteron wing — more at tetragonal, feather

Combining form

New Latin, from Greek; akin to Greek tettares four — more at four

First Known Use

Noun

1931, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

tetra

1 of 2 noun

tet·​ra ˈte-trə 

: any of various small brightly colored South American fishes often kept in tropical aquariums

tetra-

2 of 2 combining form

: four : having four : having four parts

Etymology

Combining form

derived from Greek tetra- "four"