Common Medical Suffixes Flashcards
-trophy
development, nourishment, e.g., hypertrophy (an overgrowth or increase in the bulk of a body part or organ)
-phobia
fear, e.g., claustrophobia (fear of being closed in a small space)
-plasty
surgical repair, e.g., thoracoplasty (reparative or plastic surgery to the chest)
-otomy
incision, to cut into, e.g., nephrotomy (an incision into the kidney)
-oma
tumor, e.g., carcinoma (a malignant tumor)
-stasis
arrest, control e.g., cholestasia (an arrest in the flow of bile from the liver)
-path
morbid or diseased, e.g., a sociopath (a person who feels no remorse or guilt about behaving in socially unaccepted ways, e.g., physically beating a roommate and feeling no guilt or remorse)
-algia
pain, e.g., neuralgia (nerve pain)
-lysis
breakdown, e.g., hemolysis (the destruction of red blood cells)
-lith
stone, e.g., nephrolith (kidney stone)
-pathy
disease, e.g., neuropathy (any nerve disease) or angiocardiopathy (disease of the heart or blood vessels) or cardiomyopathy a disease of the heart; diabetic neruropathy is an often heard term in the nursing facility
-orrhea
flow, discharge, e.g., gastrorrhea (excessive secretion of gastric juice or mucus by the stomach)
-orexia
appetite, desire, e.g., anorexia (loss of appetite)
-sclerosis
hardening, e.g., arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
-megaly
enlargement, e.g., cardiomegaly (enlargement of the heart)
-clysis
washing, irrigation, e.g., enteroclysis (enema of the intestines)
-emesis
vomiting, e.g., hyperemesis (excessive vomiting)
-opsy
vision, e.g., biopsy (excision of a small piece of living tissue from a patient for microscopic examination)
-centesis
surgical puncture, e.g., paracentesis (a puncture of the body cavity for removing fluid)
-ectomy
excision (cutting out) of, e.g., tonsillectomy (cutting out of the tonsils)
-clasis
breaking, e.g., thromboclasis (the breaking up of a blood clot)
-ac
pertaining to, e.g., cardiac (pertaining to the heart)
-taxis
order, arrangement, e.g., thermotaxis (regulation of the temperature of the body
-penia
deficiency, e.g., leukopenia (any situation in which the total number of leukocytes -white blood cells- in the circulating blood is less than normal)
-pexy
fixation, to put into place, e.g., nephropexy (surgical attachment of a floating kidney)
-pnea
breath, e.g., polypnea (very rapid breathing)
-it is
inflammation, e.g., dermatitis (inflammation of the skin)
-cele
hernia, e.g., protrusion of a portion of an organ or tissue through the wall that normally contains it.
-orrhaphy
suture, e.g., gastrorrhaphy (the suture of a perforation of the stomach
-ac
pertaining to, e.g., cardiac (pertaining to the heart)
-uria
urine, e.g., albuminuria (the presence of protein in urine, chiefly albumin; albumin is any protein that is soluble in water)
-emia
denoting a condition of the blood, e.g., glycemia (sugar in the blood)
-ectasia
dilation, stretching, e.g., gastrectasia (dilation of the stomach)
-odynia
painful condition, e.g., cardiodynia (pain in the heart)
-pepsia
digestion, e.g., dyspepsia (indigestion or upset stomach)
-tripsy
crushing, e.g., lithotripsy (the crushing of a stone in the kidney by a machine, called a lithotripter, that uses sound waves to break stones into minute particles, which can then be passed in the urine)
-genesis
condition of producing, e.g., carcinogenesis (the origin or production of cancer)
-malasia
softening, e.g. osteomalasia (a disease characterized by gradual softening and bending of the bones)
-rhythmia
rhythmical, e.g., arrhythmia (any variation from the normal rhythm of the heart)
-ostomy
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to make a new opening, e.g., colostomy (the establishment of an artificial anus by an opening into the colon)
-cyte
cell, e.g., hematocyte (any blood cell)
-spasm
sudden violent involuntary contraction of muscles, e.g., myospasm (spasm of a muscle)
