olig-, oligo-

Infrequent episodes of menstrual bleeding associated with scant flow.

A description of eggs with a small amount of evenly distributed yolk; such as, the eggs of many invertebrates.

1. Selecting only a few; applied to insects visiting only a few different food plants or flowers.
2. A reference to insects that collect pollen from only a few different types of flowers.

A scarcity of words that is a condition in which a person says, or writes, fewer words than might normally be expected; given his/her personality, education, and the specific circumstances.

A madness which shows itself in just a few aspects or on a few subjects.

1. A reduction in the frequency of menstruation, with cycle lengths usually exceeding 40 days.
2. Scanty, or markedly diminished, menstrual flow during menstruation.

Also called relative amenorrhea or infrequent menstruation.

Having one or more whorls with fewer members than other whorls of the flower.

1. A lake that circulates only at rare, irregular intervals during abnormal cold spells.
2. A reference to a clastic (fragments of other rocks) sedimentary rock, composed of a single rock type.

Presenting few changes of form; not polymorphic.

A relative scarcity of births.

A congenital anomaly of the renal parenchyma (functional tissue of the kidney, consisting of the nephrons) in which there are fewer than the usual number of nephrons (anatomical and functional unit of the kidney).

A form of life that thrives in habitats having a low nitrogen content: The pitcher plant, an oligonitrophile, is insectivorous and grows well in an environment of nitrogen deficient soil.

Concerning life in regions with a low amount of nitrogen: Some oligonitrophilous bacteria and microbes can grow in soil with a low nitrogen content, but too much nitrogen can lead to plants not thriving well.

The existence of a life form thriving in environments having a low nitrogen content: Joan read that oligonitrophily can lead to a low crop production because almost all plants, except for the tropical pitcher plant, need a certain amount of nitrogen to grow well.