Prefixes Flashcards
a‐, an‐
no, not
Apnea ‐ no breath.
ab‐
away from
Abductor ‐ muscle that moves a limb away from the
body.
ad‐
toward, near
Adductor ‐ muscle that moves a limb towards the
body.
ambi‐
both, both sides
Ambidextrous ‐ use of both hands.
ante‐
before
Antepartum ‐ before birth.
anti‐
against
Antiseptic ‐ substance used to fight against infection.
auto‐
self/own
Autoimmune disease ‐ production of antibodies
against one’s own normal cells
brachy‐
short
Brachydactyly ‐ a condition where fingers and toes
are abnormally short.
brady‐
slow
Bradycardia ‐ slow heart rate
con‐
with, together
Connective tissue ‐ tissue that binds tissues and other
body parts together
contra‐
against or opposite
Contraindication ‐ goes against the recommended
usage
dys
abnormal,
bad, difficult,
pain
Dysfunctional ‐ abnormal behaviour
ecto‐
out, outside
Ectopic pregnancy ‐ pregnancy outside of the uterus
en/endo‐
within, in, inner
Endotracheal tube ‐ tube within the trachea
epi‐
upon/on/above
Epithelium ‐ tissue on (covering) the body
exo‐
outward, outside
Exophthalmus ‐ protrusion of the eyeball‐
( outside of the normal parameters)
fore‐
before, in front of
Forebrain ‐ front of the brain
gero‐
old age
Gerontology ‐ the study of all aspects of aging
glyc‐
sugar
Glycopenia ‐ a deficiency of sugar in the blood or
tissues
hema‐/hemat‐
blood
Hematoma – a mass or collection of blood in an
organ, space or tissue
hetero‐
different
Heterogeneous ‐ having dissimilar elements or parts
homo‐/homeo‐
similar
Homoblastic ‐ developing from a single type of tissue
hyper‐
above, excessive, too much
Hyperacidity ‐ excessive amount of acid in the
stomach
Hypo
Hypounder,
below, beneath,
deficient
Hypodermic ‐ pertaining to an area below the skin
in‐
in, into
Incision ‐ a surgical cut into an organ or body space
infra‐
below, under
Infraorbital ‐ pertaining to the area beneath the floor
of the bony cavity where the eyeball is located
inter‐
between
Intercostal ‐ pertaining to the space between the ribs
intra‐
within
Intravenous ‐ pertaining to the inside of the vein
leuk‐
white
Leukemia ‐ increased number of white blood cells in
the blood or tissue
macro‐
large
Macrocephaly ‐ a congenital anomaly characterized
by abnormal largeness of the head
mal‐
bad, abnormal
Malabsorption ‐ abnormal absorption of nutrients
from the GI tract
meta‐
beyond, change
Metamorphisis ‐ change in development
micro‐
very small
Microblast ‐ a very small immature red blood cell
neo‐
new
Neoplasm ‐ any abnormal growth of new tissue
non‐
no/not
Nonunion ‐ pertaining to a fractured bone that is not
healing properly
pan‐
all
Pandemic ‐ occurring throughout the population of a country or the World
para‐
beside, near, along side of
Parathyroid glands ‐ glands beside the thyroid gland
path‐ / patho‐
disease
Pathology ‐ the study of the characteristics of disease.
pedia‐
child
Pediatrician ‐ a physician who specializes in the care and development of infants and children.
peri‐
surrounding, around
Perinatal ‐ pertaining to the time snd process of giving birth or being born
pre‐
before
Premature ‐ occurring before the appropriate time.
pro‐
first, in front of, forward
Proactive ‐ being anticipatory and actively looking ahead
pseudo‐
false
Pseudocyesis ‐ a condition where a women believes she is pregnant but is not.
retro‐
backward, back, behind
Retroflexion ‐ an abnormal position of an organ in which it is tipped backward acutely.
semi‐
half
Semiconcious ‐ an impaired state of conciousness
sub‐
below
Subcutaneous ‐ below the skin
super‐
above/more than normal
Superficial wound ‐ not deep, just under the skin
supra‐
above/over/upper
Suprapatellar ‐ pertaining to the location above the patella
syn‐
with, together, union
Synarthrosis ‐ joints that are joined together
tachy‐
fast
Tachycardia ‐ a condition in which the heart contracts at a rate greater than 100/min
trans‐
across/through
Transhepatic ‐ through the liver
bi‐
two
Bifurcation ‐ splitting into two branches
di‐
twice/double
Diplopia ‐ double vision
hemi‐
half
Hemiplegia ‐ paralysis on one side of the body
quad‐
four
Quadruplet ‐ any one of four offspring born of the same gestation
tri‐
three
Tricuspid ‐ pertaining to three points or cusps as in the tricuspid valve of the heart
uni‐
one
Unilateral ‐ involving only one side