The language of Medicine

Prefix

a-, an- no, not, without

Aut-, auto- Self, own
ana- up
ab- Away from
ad- forward
anti- against

bi- two
brady- slow
dys- painful

cata- down
con- With, together
contra- Against, opposite

dia- Complete, through

de- Down, lack of
dys- Bad, painful, difficult, abnormal

endo- within
epi- Above, upon, on
Ex-, exo- Out, outside of, outward, away from
Ec-, ecto- Out, outside
eu- Good, normal
hyper- Excessive, above, more than normal
hypo- Deficient, below, under, less than
normal
hemi- half

in- Into, in, not, within

inter- between
infra- Beneath, under, in, within, into

ultra- Beyond, excess

uni- one

meta- Change, beyond

macro- large
mal- bad
micro- small
multi- many

neo- new
nulli- no, not, none

peri- Surrounding, around

pro- Before, forward
pan- all
pera- Abnormal, beside, near
per- through
peri- surrounding
 poly- Many, much
post- After, behind
pre- Before, in front of
pros- Before, forward
primi- first

re- Back, backward, again

retro- Behind, backward

sub- Below, under

supra- Above, upper
Syn-, sym- Together, with

trans- Across, through

tachy- fast
Suffixes

-ac, -iac Pertaining to

-al Pertaining to
-algia pain
-ar Pertaining to
-ary Pertaining to
-ase enzyme
-arch beginning
-astenia Lack of strength
-action A process
 -arche beginning

-blast Embryonic, immature

-cyte cell
-cele hernia
-centesis surgical
-coccus (singular) berry-shaped
-cocci (plural) bacterium
-crine To secrete
-chezia Defecation, elimination
-cyesis pregnancy

-dynia pain
-drome To run

-ectomy Excision, removal

-eal Blood condition
-emia Pertaining to
-er Blood condition
-ema condition

-fusion Coming together, to pour

-genic Pertaining to, producing, produced

by, produced in.
-globin protein
 -gram record
-genesis Condition of producing, forming,
formation
-graph Instrument for recording
-graphy Process of recording
-gen Substance that produces
-gravida pregnant

-ic, -ical Pertaining to

-ion process
-ist specialist
-itis inflammation
-iac Pertaining to
-ior Pertaining to
-ism Process, condition
-ia condition
-iasis Abnormal condition

-logy Process of study, study of

-lysis Breakdown, destruction, separation
-lapse To slide, fall, sag

-malacia softening
-megaly enlargement
-meter To measure
-mission To send
 -oma Swelling, collection of fluid, tumor,
mass
-opsy Process of viewing, to view
-osis Condition, usually abnormal (slight
increase in number when used with
blood cell)
-ose Pertaining to, full of
-ole Little, small
-oid Resembling, derived from
-ous Pertaining to
-or One who
-oxia oxygen
-osmia smell
-one hormone

-pathy Disease condition

-plasm formation
-penia deficiency
-phobia fear
-plasia Development, formation, growth
-plasty Surgical repair
-ptosis Drooping, falling, prolapse
-partum Birth, labor
-phoria To bear, carry, feeling/mental state
-phea breathing
-physis To grow
-pradnial meal
 -ptysis spitting
-parous bearing, bringing forth

-pexy fixation, put in place

-rrhea Flow, controlling

-sphyxia pulse
-somes bodias
-scop Instrument to visually examine
-scopy Process of visually examining
-sis State of, condition
-sclerosis hardening
-stasis Controlling, stopping
-stomy Opening to form a mouth (stomach),
new opening
-salpinx fallopian(uterine) tube

-tomy Process of cutting, incision, cutting

into
-type Picture, classification
-therapy treatment
-tropy Development, nourishment
-tic Pertaining to
-thorax Pleural cavity, chest
-tocia labor, birth

-um, -ium Structure, tissue

 -us Structure, substance
-ule Little, small

-version act of turning

-y Process, condition

Combining forms

aden/o gland
arthr/o joint
adbomin/o abdomen
adip/o fat
anter/o front
acr/o Extremities, top, extreme point
acu/o Sharp, severe, sudden
anmi/o amnion(sac surrounding the embryo
in the uterus)
angi/o vessel
arter/o artery
axill/o armpit
an/o anus
appendic/o appendix
appendic/o appendix
amy/o starch
andr/o male
aort/o aota
 ather/o Yellowish plaque, fatty
substance(greek athere means
chamber)
atri/o Atrium, upper heart chamber
adenoid/o adenoids
alveol/o Alveolus, air sac
acetabul/o Acetabulum (hip socket)
ankyl/o stiff
articul/o joint

bi/o life
bol/o To cast (throw)
blephar/o eyelid
bronch/o Bronchial tubes (two tubes, one right
and one left, that branch from the
trachea to enter the lungs)
bi/i Gall, bile
bucc/o cheek
bilirubin/o Bilirubin (bile pigment)
brachi/o arm
bronch/o, bronchi/o Bronchial tube, bronchus
bronchiol/o Bronchiole, small bronchus
bartholin/o Bartholin gland
balan/o glans penis (Greek balanos, means
acorn)

carcin/o Cancerous, cancer

 cardi/o heart
cerebr/o Cerebrum (largest part of the brain)
cis/o To cut
crin/o To secrete (to form and give off)
cyst/o Urinary bladder, a sac or a cyst (sac
containing fluid)
cyt/o cell
cervic/o neck(of the body or of the uterus)
chonfro/o cartilage(type of connective tissue)
chrom/o color
coccyg/o Coccyx (tailbone)
crani/o skull
chem/o Drug, chemical
carp/o Wrist bone
cib/o meals
cost/o rib
cutane/o skin
ces/o cecum
celi/o Belly, abdomen
cheil/o lip

choledoch/o Common bile duct

col/o colon
cho/e Gall, bile
chlorhydr/o Hydrochloric acid
cholesterol/o Cholesterol (a lipid substance)
 coron/o heart
cyan/o blue
capn/o Carbon dioxide
coni/o dust

chori/o, chorion/o chorion

colp/o vagina
culd/o cul-de-sac
cry/o cold
crypt/o hidden

derm/o skin
dermat/o skin
dist/o Far, distant
dors/o Back portion of the body
dacty Fingers, toes
duct/o To lead, carry
dent/o tooth
duoden/o duodenum

electr/o electricity
enphal/o brain
enter/o intestines(usually the small intestine)
erythr/o red
epiglott/o epiglottis
esophag/o esophagus
 episi/o vulva
epididym/o epididymis

flax/o To bend
furc/o Forking, branching
faci/o face

gastr/o stomach
glyc/o sugar
gnos/o knowledge
gynec/o Women, female
gloss/o tongue
gingiv/o gums
gluc/o sugar
glycogen/o Glycogen, animal starch
galact/o milk
gon/o seed (Greek gone, seed)

hepa/o liver
hist/o tissue
hem/o blood
hydro/o Water, fluid
hyster/o uterus, womb

iatr/o Treatment, physician

ili/o ilium(part of the pelvic bone)
 inguin/o groin
isch/o To hold back
immun/o protection
ile/o ileum

jejun/o jejunum

kary/o nucleus

leuk/o white
log/o Study of
later/o side
lumb/o Lower back (side and back between
the ribs and the pelvis)
lapar/o Abdomen, abdominal-wall)
laryng/o Larynx, voice box
labi/o lip
lap/o Fat, lipid
lith/o stone
lob/o Lobe of the lung
lymph/o lymph
lact/o milk

medi/o middle
mandibul/o Lower jaw, manside
mamm/o breast
most/o breast
 morph/o Mucus, shape, form
my/o, myom/o Muscle, tumor
myel/o Spinal cord, bone marrow
mort/o death
myx/o mucus
medistin/o mediastinum
men/o menses,menstruation
metr/o, metri/o uterus

nephro/o kidney
neur/o nerve
nucle/o nucleus
necr/o Deat (of cell or whole-body)
nat/o birth
nect/o To bind, tie, connect
norm/o Rule, order
nas/o nose

once/o tumor
ophtha/m eye
oste/o bone
ox/o oxygen
ot/o ear
or/o mouth
orth/o Straight, upright
odont/o tooth
 obstetr/o pregnancy and childbirth
o/o egg
oophor/o ovary
ov/o egg
ovari/o ovary
ovul/o egg
orch/o, orchi/o, testis, testicle
orchid/o

path/o disease
ped/o child
psych/o mind
pelv/i Pelvis, hip
proxim/o nearest
peritone/o peritoneum
phag/o To eat, swallow
phleb/o vein
proct/o Anus and rectum
pylor/o Pyloric sphincter
protel/o protein
py/o pus
pericardi/o pericardium
pector/o chest
pharyng/o Pharynx, throat
phon/o voice
 phren/o diaphragm
pleur/o pleura
pheum/o Air, lung
pneumon/o Air, lung

pulmon/o lung
pleur/o Pleura (membrane surrounding lungs
and adjacent to chest wall)
plas/o Formation, development
pneumon/o lungs
pulmon/o lungs
pub/o Pubis (pubic bone), anterior portion
of the pelvic or hip bone)
palat/o palate
pancreat/o pancreas
path/o disease
poster/o Back, behind
perine/o perineum
phor/o to bear
pen/o penis
prostat/o prostate gland

radi/o x-rays
ren/o hidney
rhin/o nose
rat/o rectum
rrhythm/o rhythm
 sarc/o Flash, sacrum
sect/o To cut
sacr/o Spine, backbone
splet/o Twisted chains
splen/o spleen
staphyl/o clusters
seps/o infection
somn/o sleep
son/o sound
sialaden/o Salivary gland
sigmoid/o Sigmoid colon
stomat/o mouth
sial/o Saliva, salivary
steat/o fat
sphygm/o pulse
steth/o chest
sinus/o Sinus, cavity
spir/o breathing
salping/o fallopian tubes
semin/i semen, seed
sperm/o, spermat/o Spermatozoa, semen

thyr/o Thyroid gland, shield (the shape of

thyroid gland resembled[-oid] a shield
to those who named it)
top/o Place, position, location
 tox/o poison
thromb/o Clot, clotting
thel/o, theli/o Nipple, complete
thorac/o chest
trache/o Trachea, windpipe
tonsill/o tonsils
the/o To put, place
terat/o monster (Greek teras, monster)
test/o testis, testicle

ur/o Urinary tract, urine

umbilic/o Nevel, umbilicus
urethr/o urethra
uvul/o uvula
uter/o uterus

ventr/o Belly side of the body

vertebr/o vertebra(e), backbone
viscer/o Internal organs
ven/o vein
valvu/o vale
vas/o Vessel, duct; vas
deferens
vascul/o vessel
ventricul/o Ventricle, lower heart, chamber
vagin/o vagina
vulv/o vulva
varic/o varicose veins

zo/o animal life