before vowels tetr-, word-forming element meaning "four," from Greek tetra-, combining form of tettares (Attic), tessares "the numeral four" (from PIE root *kwetwer- "four").
tete-a-tete
tether
tetherball
Tethys
Teton
tetra-
tetracycline
tetrad
tetragrammaton
tetrahedron
tetralogy