prefix Flashcards
a-, an-
not, without, or -less
ex: anemia - without blood
ab-
away from or off
ex: absent- away from a particular location
an-
up, back, apart, or repetition
ex: anabiosis - the process of restoring life to someone who is in a deathlike state
ante-
before, in front of
ex: antepartum - means before childbirth
auto-
self
ex: autobiography- biography about ones self
bari-
weight
ex: bariatric surgery-
weight loss surgery
bi
two
ex: bilateral- both sides
brady-
slow
ex: bradycardia- slow heartbeat
di-
twice or double
ex: diamelia - absence of two limbs
dia
through, throughout, or completely
ex: diagnosis- complete knowledge
dys
means abnormal, difficult, painful, or disordered.
ex: dysphagia- condition that makes it difficult to swallow food or drinks
endo
within or inner
ex: endocarditis- inflammation within the heart
ex
out, out of, away, forth
ex: external
hyper
high, above average, or excessive
ex: hypertension- high blood pressure
hypo
below, under, beneath
ex: hypotension- low blood pressure
inter
between or among
ex: Intercostal- between ribs
mono
one or single
ex: monocyte- white blood cell with a single nucleus
multi
many or much
ex: multipathy- many diseases
par
“beside”, “near”, “alongside of”, “resembling”, “beyond”, “apart from”, and “abnormal”
ex: Paranasal: Means “near the nose”
peri
“around” or “surrounding” and is often used in medical terms to describe the location of organs or other objects in the body:
ex: Pericarditis: Inflammation of the pericardium
poly-
means “many” or “excessive”
ex: Polycystic: Characterized by many cysts
post-
“post-“ means “after” in medical terminology and can indicate a location or time:
ex: Postoperative: Means after surgery
primi-
” means “first” in medical terminology. Ex: “primigravida” means “first pregnancy”
pre-
“before” or “in front of”
ex: Prenatal: Means before birth
pseudo-
“false” or “pretended”
ex: Pseudopregnancy: A medical condition where someone seems to be pregnant but is not
re-
“back” or “again”
ex: Relapse: Means “to slide back” and refers to when a patient’s symptoms return
retro-
“behind in location” or “after in time.”
ex: Retro-ocular is a medical term that means “behind the eye.”
sub-
“under,” “below,” or “less than normal”
ex: Sublingual medication: Medication that is placed under the tongue
syn-
“with” or “together with”
ex: Synapse: The space between two neurons in a neural pathway
tachy-
“fast” or “rapid”
ex: Tachycardia: A condition of a fast heartbeat
trans-
“across, over, or beyond
ex: Transdermal patch: A medication is absorbed through the skin, as in nicotine patches, birth control, and pain medication
–ac,-al,-ic,-ical
pertaining to
algia
means pain
ex: Otalgia: Ear pain
arche
ary
“pertaining to” or “relating to”
ex: Coronary: Pertains to the heart vessels
ate
“something that” or “status, state, or function”
ex: Hemolysate: Means something that results from hemolysis
ation
process, action, condition
ex: Urination: The process of making urine
ative
“doing or tending to do something”
ex: Curative: Tends to cure
blast
“immature”, “embryo”, or “bud”
ex: Osteoblast: An immature cell that develops into bone
centesis
surgical puncture to remove fluid.
ex: Arthrocentesis
A surgical puncture to remove fluid from a joint.
clast
break
ex: “osteoclast”, which is a cell that breaks down bone tissue.
–cyesis
pregnancy
ex: Polycyesis is a multiple pregnancy
cyst
“bag,” “pouch,” or “bladder”
ex: Cystotomy: A surgical incision into the gall bladder or urinary bladder
cyte
“cell”:
ex: Hemocyte: A blood cell, where the prefix “hemo-“ means “blood”
dynia
means “pain
ex: Arthrodynia: Pain in the joints
ectasis
means dilation or expansion
ex: Bronchiectasis: A chronic dilation of the bronchioles, often caused by other lung diseases
ectomy
“removal of
ex: Appendectomy: Removal of the appendix
emia
an abnormal blood condition or the presence of a substance in the blood.
ex: Anemia: A deficiency of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to the body’s tissues. Anemia can cause a person to feel weak and appear pale.
esis
condition, process, action, or state
ex: Diuresis: A condition that removes excess fluid from the body
flux
An abnormal or excessive flow from an organ or cavity, such as diarrhea or dysentery
ex:
genesis
beginning, development, or production of something
ex: Osteogenesis: The production of bone
genic
relating to production or generation, or having the nature of, or caused by a gene or genes.
ex: of or originating within the ear, especially from inflammation of the ear.
ex:
globin
“protein in the blood”
ex: Cytoglobin: A globin protein that has been found to be involved in fetal development
gram
“to record”
ex: Mammogram: A record of the breast
graph
cardiograph is an instrument that records the activity of the heart
ex: electrocardiograph - the instrument used to record the electrical activity of the heart.
graphy
means “to record” or “take a picture
ex: Radiography: The use of X-rays to produce medical images
gravida
pregnant woman or the total number of pregnancies a woman has had
ex: Nulligravida: A woman who has never been pregnant
–iatry, -ician, -ist, -istry
practices a specific medical treatment.
ex: pediatrician, psychiatrist
.-ic, -ac, -ical
pertaining to
ex: medical- pertaining to medicine
.-id, -ous
full of
ile
pertaining to; capable.
ex: febrile (pertaining to fever)
-ion, -ism
a condition, theory, principle, or method.
ex: “hyperthyroidism” is a medical term that uses the suffix “-ism” to indicate a state
ist
means “specialist” or “practitioner”.
ex: a dentist is a specialist in the treatment of teeth
itis
inflammation or infection of an organ or tissue
ex: Arthritis: Inflammation of a joint
ity
indicates a state or condition, or a quality or degree.
ex: Abnormality: The state of being abnormal
le
logy
the study of” or “science of”.
ex: “cytology” means the study of cells,
megaly
a medical term that means “irregular enlargement
ex: Cardiomegaly: Abnormal enlargement of the heart
oid
“resembling” or “like”
ex: leukemoid
oma
the presence of a tumor, growth, or mass.
ex: Carcinoma: A cancerous growth
one
opsy
Examination or inspection or Visual disorder
ex: autopsy
ose, ous
In medical terms, the suffix “-ose” means “pertaining to” or “relating to”.
otomy
to cut into or make an incision in a body part
ex: Myotomy: An incision or cut made into a muscle
pathy
“disease” or “suffering from a disease
ex: Neuropathy: Means nerve disease
pexy
surgical fixation or suspension
ex: cystopexy which is when a physician has to do fixation or suspension of the bladder
phobia
fear of something
ex: Insectophobia: A fear of insects
plasm
“living substance” or “tissue”
ex:
plasty
surgical repair” or “plastic surgery”
ex: Rhinoplasty: A surgical procedure that involves the nose
rrhage
to bleed excessively” or “bursting forth”
ex: hemorrhage is the escape of blood from tissue
rrhea
“flow” or “discharge”
ex: diarrhea
rrhoid
to flow
Ex: Hemorrhoid: A word that refers to enlarged veins in the lower rectum. The word is broken down into “hemo-“ which means blood, and “-rrhoid” which means “to flow”.
salpinx
a tube-shaped structure, such as the fallopian tube or Eustachian tube
ex: Salpingectomy: Surgical removal of a fallopian tube
scope
instrument for viewing or examining
ex: Stethoscope: An instrument used to listen to internal organs like the heart or lungs
scopy
visual examination using a scope
ex: Bronchoscopy: An examination of the bronchi
-stasis
“stop,” “control,” or “place”
ex: Hemostasis: Means to stop or control bleeding. The combining form hem/o means blood.
-stenosis
narrowing or constriction
ex: Aortic stenosis: A narrowing of the aortic valve in the heart
-tripsy
crushing
ex: Lithotripsy: The process of breaking kidney stones into smaller pieces so they can pass through urine. This can be done with ultrasound or a laser
trophy
“nourishment,” “feeding,” or “growth”
ex: Atrophy: The prefix “a-“ means “no”, so “atrophy” means “no nourishment”.
ule
small one
ex: venule (smallest vein that collects blood from a capillary)
-um
structure, tissue, or thing
-zyme
enzyme
ag-
an
without”, “lacking”, or “not
ex: Anemia: Without blood
eso
“into”, “inward”, or “within”
ex: Esotropia: An inward deviation of one or both eyes
iatro-
“healer,” “medicine,” “healing,” used in the formation of compound words: iatrogenic.
iso-
equal, like, or similar
ex: Isotonic solution: A solution with the same salt concentration as blood and cells
pan-
all
ex: Pancarditis: Inflammation of the entire heart
quad
four
ex: “quadriplegia” means paralysis of all four limbs
tetra-
four
ex: Tetraplegia: Paralysis of both arms and both legs
tri-
three
Triceps: A muscle with three heads of origin
cusis
hearing
ex: “presbycusis” refers to hearing loss associated with old age
-ant
ar
desis
binding, fixation, or surgical fusion
ex: arthrodesis” is a medical term that uses the suffix “-desis” and means the fixation of a joint through a procedure that fuses the joint surfaces
- ica
internal carotid artery
-in
in” or “within”
Ex:
ization
the process of making or causing something to become something else. ex: “immunization”
ize
to make, treat, or combine with.
ex: “anesthetize” means to induce a state of anesthesia
.-ment
a state, condition, or quality.
-metrist
-opia, -opsia
a visual disorder or condition
ex: Diplopia: Double vision
osis
a pathological condition or process, or an abnormal increase
ex: Neurosis: A pathological process that affects the nervous system
-otia
penia
plasia
pnea
breath” or “respiration”
ex: Hypopnea: Slow and shallow breathing
statin
used in the names of drugs that lower cholesterol levels, or antilipidemic drugs
ex: Atorvastatin (Lipitor) and Simvastatin (Zocor).
tomy
“cutting” or “incision”
ex: Craniotomy: An operation to open the skull, usually for brain surgery
tropia
turning
ex: Esotropia: The eye turns inward
