Common Numerical/color Prefixes Flashcards
Un-
One
Ex: unilateral - affecting one side of the body
Dipl-
Double or in pairs
Ex: diplopia - double vision
Null-
None
Ex: nullipara - a woman who has never given birth
Primi-
First
Ex: primigravida - a woman pregnant for the first time
Multi-
Many
Ex: multipara - a woman who has given birth to more than one child
Bi-
Two
Ex: bilateral - pertaining to both sides of the body
Tri-
Three
Ex: trigeminy - irregular heart rhythem consisting of two normal beats followed by one premature beat
Quad-
Four
Ex: tetralogy of Fallot - a congenital anomaly involving four anatomic abnormalities of the heart
Quint-
Five
Ex: quintipara - a woman who has had five pregnancies resulting in five live births
Sexti-
Six
Ex: sextuplets - six offspring of the same pregnancy
Septi-
Seven
Ex: septruplets - seven offspring of the same pregnancy
Octo- (or) octi-
Eight
Ex: octigravida - a woman pregnant for the eighth time
Nona-
Nine
Ex: nonan - occurring on the ninth day
Deca-
Ten
Ex: decagram - measurement of ten grams
Semi-
Half; part
Ex: semiconscious - partially conscious
Hemi-
Half; one sided
Ex: hemiplegia - weakness on one side of the body
Ambi-
Both
Ex: ambidextrous - able to use right and left hands equally
Pan-
All, entire
Ex: pandemic - an epidemic over a wide area
Cyan/o
Blue
Ex: cyanosis - blue discoloration of the skin
Leuk/o
White
Ex: leukocyte - white blood cell that fights infection
Erythr/o
Red
Ex: erythrocyte - red blood cell that contains hemoglobin to carry oxygen
Cirrh/o
Yellow-Orange
Ex: cirrhosis - inflammation of an organ, such as cirrhosis of the liver, which causes yellow-orange pigmentation of the skin
Melan/o
Black
Ex: melena - black, tarry stool caused by upper GI bleeding
Poli/o
Gray
Ex: poliomyelitis - an acute viral disease that attacks the gray matter of the brain
Alb-
White
Ex: albinism - condition in which a person’s skin, hair, and eyes lack pigmentation (white hair, very pale skin, and a nonpigmented iris)
Chlor/o
Green
Ex: chlorophyll - green pigment in leaves that is necessary for the plant to carry out photosynthesis
Coronal
Front and back
Plane of the body
Splits the body from the front half and the back half
Transverse
Top and bottom
Plane of the body
Splits the body in half at the belly button from top and bottom
Sagittal
Aka midsagittal (midline)
Plane of the body
Splits the body in half left and right at the nose and belly button