Prefixes Flashcards
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a-
Atypical (not typical). Think of “a” as “away from” or lacking something.
ab-
Away from Abduct (to take away). “Ab-“ can be thought of as pulling away
bi-
Two, twice Bicycle (a vehicle with two wheels). Think of bi- as two, like in bimonthly (every two
endo-
Inside, within Endoscope (a tool used to look inside the body).
hyper-
Above, excessive/ “Hyper-“ means too much, like a hyperactive child
intra-
Within, inside/ Think of “intra-“ as “inside,” like intranet (a network within an organization)
post-
“Post-“ means after, like postgame (after a game)
pre-
Pre-“ means before, like preview (before you view)
sub-
Under, below/ Think of “sub-“ as “below,” like in submarine (underwater
con-
With, together/ Think of “con-“ as in “connect” (coming together
contra-
Against, opposite/ “Contra-“ means “against,” like in “contradict” (to speak against)
meta-
Change, beyond/ “Meta-“ implies “change,” like in metaphor (a change in meaning or comparison)
mono-
One, single/ “Mono-“ means one, like monologue (one person speaking)
ambi-
Both, on both sides
nulli-
None/ “Nulli-“ means none, like null (zero or nothing)
poly-
Many/ “Poly-“ means many, like polygon (a shape with many sides
quadri-
Four/ “Quadri-“ means four, like quadrilateral (four-sided figure) Quadriceps (a muscle group of four)
tetra-
Four/ “Tetra-“ also means four, similar to “quad
exo-
Outward-Exoskeleton – a skeleton located on the outside of the body.
para-
Beside, near, abnormal–Parathyroid – glands located near the thyroid gland.
infer-
Below, beneath-Inferior – situated below another part
pre-
Refers to before… meaning before birth.
sub-
Refers to under or below.
Example: Subcutaneous, meaning under the skin.
Refers to under or below.
Example: Subcutaneous, meaning under the skin.
Refers to under or below.
Example: Subcutaneous, meaning under the skin.
brady-
brady-: Slow
Example: Bradycardia – slow heart rate.
circum
Around
Example: Circumference – the distance around a circle.
hyper-
Above, excessive-Above, excessive
Example: Hypertension – high blood pressure.
dys-
Bad, difficult, painful
Example: Dysfunction – abnormal or impaired functioning.
mal-
Bad, poor
Example: Malnutrition – poor nutrition.
megalo-
Large, enlarged
Example: Megalomania – obsession with grand or large things.
pseudo-
False
Example: Pseudoscience – false or non-scientific beliefs.
neo-
New
Example: Neonatal – relating to newborn infants
trans-
Across, through
Example: Transdermal – through the skin.
