Word Root

Building Medical Terms

Prefix

Suffix

Combining forms 1
 Objectives
After studying this chapter, you will be able to:

•Define the four word parts used to

build medical terms.
•Define common medical combining
forms.
•Define common medical prefixes.
•Define common medical suffixes.
•Describe how word parts are put
together to form words.
2
 Forming Medical Terms
Medical Term

Word root
Prefix Suffix

Combining forms

3
 Forming Medical Terms Part 2
Medical terms are formed from two or more
word parts.
Word root Prefix Suffix
•Word parts •Word parts
•The main part attached to the
of a word which attached to
the beginning end of a word
contains the that modifies
basic meaning. of a word that
modifies the the meaning.
meaning.
Combining forms
•The word root and a combining vowel that
enable two parts to be connected. 4
 Word Roots and Combining
Forms
Combining Forms
[ACANTH(O)]
Meaning
acanth (o) spiny, thorny

actin (o) light

aer (o) air; gas

athero plaque; fatty substance

bacill (i) bacilli; bacteria

bar (o)
weight; pressure 5
 Word Roots and Combining
Forms [BLAST(O)]
Combining Forms Meaning
blasto immature cells

carcin(o) cancer
chrondro cartilage

cry(o) cold

crypt(o) hidden

cyan(o) blue
6
 Word Roots and Combining
Forms
Combining Forms
[CYT(O)]
Meaning
cyt(o) cell

dextr(o) right

dips(o) thirst

dors(o) back

erythr(o) red
sensation,
esthesio
perception 7
 Word Roots and Combining
Forms
Combining Forms[GALACT(O)]
Meaning
galact(o) milk

gluco glucose

gero old age

glyco sugars

gyn(o) women

home(o) same

kin(o) movement 8
 Word Roots and Combining
CombiningForms
Forms [KINESI(O)
Meaning
kinesi(o) motion

lact(o) milk

leuk(o) white

lith(o) stone

mio smaller; less

narco sleep; numbness

necro death; dying 9

 Word Roots and Combining
Combining Forms
Forms [NOCT(O)]
Meaning
noct(i) night

oncho tumor

path(o) disease

phago eating

phon(o) sound; voice

pseud(o) false

pus
pyo 10
 Word Roots and Combining
Combining Forms Meaning
pyro
Forms [PYRO]
fever

salping(o) tube

schiz(o) split; division

scler(o) hardening

scolio crooked; bent

somato body

spiro breath; breathe

11
 Word Roots and Combining
Forms [TEL(O)]
Combining Forms Meaning
tel(o) distant; end; complete

tono tension; pressure

tropho food; nutrition

xanth(o) yellow

xeno stranger

Xer(o) dry
12
 Prefixes
Suffix
Word Root
Prefix

•Prefixes are attached to the beginning of words.

•Modifies the meaning of the word or word root.

•Indicates size, quantity, position of, and location.

13
Prefix Prefixes (a–aut)
Meaning
a without

ab away from

ambi both, around

ana up, toward

ante before

anti against

aut(0) self 14
 Prefixes
Prefix (brachy–hypo)
Meaning
brachy short

brady slow

contra against

dys abnormal; difficult

hemi half

hyper above normal

hypo below normal 15

Prefix Prefixes (inter–peri)
Meaning
inter between

iso equal; same

mal bad; inadequate

meta after

micr(o) small

olig(o) few; little; scanty

peri around; about; near 16

Prefix Prefixes (pro–un)
Meaning
pro before; forward

re again; backward

retro behind; backward

semi half

supra above; over

tachy fast

un not 17
 Suffixes

Suffix
Word Root
Prefix

•Attaches to the end of the word and carries the

underlying meaning of the word.

•Suffixes can also be combining forms.

18
Suffix
Suffixes (ad–crine)
Meaning
-ad toward

-algia pain

-asthenia weakness

-blast immature; forming

-cidal destroying; killing

-clast breaking
-crine secreting 19
Suffix Suffixes (crit–ectomy)
Meaning
-crit separate

-cyte cell

-cytosis condition of cells

-derma skin

-dynia pain

-ectasis expanding; dilating

-ectomy removal of 20
SuffixSuffixes (emesis–graphy)
Meaning
-emesis vomiting

-emia blood

-esthesia sensation

-globin protein

-gram a recording

-graph recording instrument

-graphy process of recording

21
Suffix Suffixes (ic–malacia)
Meaning
-ic pertaining to

-ism condition; disease

-itis inflammation

-kinesia movement

-logist one who practices

-lysis destruction of

-malacia softening 22
 Suffix Suffixes (mania-pathy)
Meaning
-mania obsession

-megaly enlargement

-oid like; resembling

-opia vision

-ostomy opening

-para bearing

-pathy disease 23
Suffix Suffixes (penia-phrenia)
Meaning
-penia deficiency

-pepsia digestion

-pexy fixation

-phage eating; devouring

-phobia fear

-phonia sound

-phrenia of the mind 24

SuffixSuffixes (phylaxis-rrhaphy)
Meaning
-phylaxis protection

-plasty surgical repair

-plegia paralysis

-pnea breath

-ptosis falling down; drooping

-rrhagia heavy discharge

-rrhaphy surgical suturing 25

 Suffix Suffixes (rrhexis-tropia)
Meaning
-rrhexis rupture

-spasm contraction

-stasis stopping; constant

-stenosis narrowing

-tomy cutting operation

-trophy nutrition

-tropia turning 26
 Apply Your Knowledge
Using various word parts, build terms for the
following meanings.
Meaning Term

•Absence of blood anemia

•Bluish color of hands and feet cyanosis

•Equal vision in both eyes. isopia

•Fast heart. tachycardia

glycolysis
•Breakdown of sugar.
27
 Apply Your Knowledge Part 2
Using various word parts, build terms for the
following meanings.

Meaning Term

•Lack of white blood cells. leukopenia

•Softening of bone. osteomalacia

•Inflammation of a vein. phlebitis

neuralgia
•Nerve pain.
dermatology
•Science of skin and its diseases. 28