Unit 6 for BUnit 6 Roots, Prefixes, Suffixes, Abbreviations 2024 Flashcards
a–
not
af–
going into (was originally ad–)
an–
not
ana–
up, throughout, again
anti–
against (an action)
apo–
from, off, away
auto–
self
bi–
bin–
two, double
cata–
down, downward
con–
together, with
de–
from, down, out
di–
dipl–
separate, apart, double, two
dys–
bad
e–
ec–
ex–
out, off, from, beyond
ef–
going out of
en–
inside
end–
endo–
inside
epi–
on top of
eso–
outward
eu–
good, well–
ex–
exo–
out, outside, without
extra–
outside, more, beyond
hemi–
half
hyper–
too much
hypo–
(before process)
too little
hypo–
(before anatomical structure)
below
im–
in–
not
inter–
between
intra–
inside
isch–
keep back (shortening of Greek iskhein)
macro–
large
micr–
micro–
small
mid–
middle
mono–
one
multi–
several; many
para–
beside; near
peri–
around
poly–
many; too much
post–
behind (anatomically or in time)
pre–
in front of (anatomically or in time)
pro–
in front of; in favor of
quadri–
four
re–
again
sub–
an underlayer; support
sym–
syn–
with, together
trans–
through
tri–
three
uni–
one
xero–
dry
acous
acusis
hearing
aden
gland
aer
air
ambly
blunted
ambul
moving around
ampulla
flask with long, narrow neck
aneurysm[os]
dilation of an artery
angio
vessel
anxio
anxiety
arachn[id]
spider
arter
arterio
artery
asthen
weakness
athero
encysted tumor
audio
sound
audit
hearing
aur
sound
aut[os]
self
axo[n]
axon
nerve cell structure that carries a signal over a long distance
basi[s]
base (of the midbrain)
blephar/o
eyelid
brain
brain
cataract
cloudiness (“waterfall”)
caud[a]
tail
central [sulcus]
in the center
cephal/o
pertaining to the head
cereb
cerebr/o
brain
chemo
chemical
chor[ion]
membrane (resembling the one surrounding the fetus)
clonus
violent shaking
cochlea
snail’s shell
conjunctiva
joining (the eyelids and globe of the eye)
convuls[e]
jerking movement
corn[u]
horn
cortex
cortico
outside of a multilayered structure (“bark of a tree”)
cran/i/o
head; skull
cycl/o
circle; in this case, the ciliary body which forms a circle around the inside of the eye
cysticercus
larval stage of some tapeworms
cyst/o
fluid-filled space
dacry/o
tear (drop)
decussate
make a shape like the letter X
dendr/o
tree
depress
push down
derm/a
derm/at
skin
duct
pipe
dura
tough
ectasis
dilation
edema
swelling
electro
related to electricity
embol
arterial blockage (“peg, stopper”)
emulsion
mixture with large particle sizes
encephal/o
brain (literally, inside the head)
ependyma
lining of the ventricles
esthes
feeling
exter[i]o[r]
outside
externa
outside
fascia
sheet of fibers; bundle of stick-like structures
fer[re]
carry; move
front
front
gangl
gangl/i
cluster of nerve cell bodies
geminus
twins
gen
birth (dealing with inheritance)
glaucoma
increased pressure in eye
glia
gli/o
glue
glosso
tongue
glyc/o
sugar
gnos
knowing
gustat[e]
taste
gyrus
elevation or bump on the brain (from the Greek word for “ring, circle”
[h]em[e]
hem
heme
hemo
hemat
blood
homunculus
“little man”; map of the body on the brain surface
hydro
water
hypno
sleep
ictus
seizure; sudden, unexpected illness
idios
self
insula
island
ir[is]
irid[es]
irido
iris (plural irides)
kerat/o
horn
kine/t
movement
labyrinth
maze
lacrim
crying; tears
laryng/o
voice box
leps[is]
seizure; grasp
lex[is]
reading
ligand
signaling molecule or drug that binds a receptor
lir[a]
staying on track (literally, “furrow”)
lith
stone
lob
lobo
large region of the brain; roundish structure
lymph
here, the fluid inside the inner ear chambers
mechano
mechanical
medulla
inside of a multilayered structure (“marrow”)
mening
meningi
meningo
coverings of the brain
mens
ment
mind
metr
measurement
motor
movement
my[ein]
pupil constriction
myc
fungus
mydriasis
pupil dilation
myel/o
spinal cord
myo
muscle
myring/o
eardrum
narco
sleep
nas/o
nose
neur/o
nervous system
noci
harmful; noxious
nom
name
nucle
the center of something
nystagmus
nodding or jerking back-and-forth
occipit
back of the head
ocul/o
eye
op
ops
opt/o
eye; vision
ophthalm/o
eye; vision
orexis
desire
osmē
smell
oste/o
bone
ot/o
ear
propagate
reproduce; breed
papilla
nipple
paresis
weakness
pariet
side of the head
path[os]
feeling
phac/o
phak
lens
pharmaco
pertaining to drugs
phas
speaking
phon
sound
phor
carrier
phot/o
light
phren
skull; mind
physi
function
plas
something molded
pleg
stroke; weakness
plex
woven
pol[e]
polar
one end of a round object, as in North Pole & South Pole
polio
degeneration of myelin
presby
elder; old person
propri[us]
understanding of one’s own body position
prosop
face
pseudo
psych/o
mind
py/o
pus
[re]ceptor
receptor
a protein on the surface of a cell that turns a chemical on the outside to a signal on the inside of the cell
retin/a
retin/o
net; the receptive surface of the eye
rhin/o
nose
saccule
small sac
salping/o
tube (e.g. Eustachian tube; Fallopian tube)
sciatic
nerve of the buttocks and thigh
scler/a
scler/o
hard (white of the eye)
scot
darkness; blindness
soma
body
somn/o
sleep; drowsiness
sono
sound
spin[e]
spinal column
stigma
wound; point
stimulus
something which initiates an action
sulcus
groove in the brain
synapse
contact between a nerve cell and its target
syncope
fainting
tempor
side of the head around the ear
therm/o
temperature
thromb/o
clot
tinnitus
jingling or ringing noise
tox
poison
transmit
carry along
trop
turning toward
tympan/o
eardrum
utricle
bag
varicos[e]
dilation; enlargement
vascul
little vessel
vertigo
spinning sensation
vestibul/o
inner ear structures controlling balance
vitr/e
glass
–al
pertaining to
–algia
pain
–ant
state of being
–ar
pertaining to
–asis
state of being
–ate
chemical name ending
–ation
word ending that turns a verb into a noun
–cele
hernia
–centesis
puncture
–dynia
pain
–ea
anatomical word ending
–eal
pertaining to
–ectomy
cutting out of
–ellum
diminutive suffix (cerebellum = “little brain”)
–emia
present in blood, indicating disease
–ent
word ending that turns a verb into a noun
–etic
a drug or condition causing a process
–gram
a record of a test or procedure
–graphy
a test or procedure
–ia
disease
–ial
pertaining to
–iasis
presence of an abnormality
–iatrist
clinician who studies
–iatry
the act of studying
–ic
pertaining to
–ication
pertaining to + word ending that turns a verb into a noun
–icle
diminutive suffix
–ient
word ending which indicates an ongoing condition
–ing
at the end of a verb, means “ongoing”
–ion
word ending that turns a verb into a noun
–ism
belief; process word ending
–ist
someone who studies
–itis
inflammation
–ity
turns a noun into a state of being
–ium
anatomical structure
–ive
to go
–ization
turns a noun into a verb and then back into a noun (which is weird)
–logist
one who studies
–logy
study of
–lysis
breaking down; destroying
–lytic
substance that causes a breakdown or destruction
–malacia
softening due to disease
–meter
instrument for measuring
–metry
the act of measuring
–oid
looks like; resembles
–ology
study of; o added to make it sound better
–oma
tumor
–on
unit of anatomical structure
–ory
pertaining to
–osis
process
–ous
word ending that turns a noun into an adjective
–pathy
disease process
–penia
low levels of
–pexy
surgical fixation
–plasty
surgical revision
–plegia
inability to move
–ptosis
drooping
–rrhag[e]
abnormal flow
–rrhaphy
suturing
–rrhea
abnormal flow
–scope
instrument for looking inside
–spasm
involuntary contraction
–stenosis
abnormal narrowing of an opening
–stomy
creating an opening (or “mouth”) with surgery
–tatic
pertaining to stretching
–ter
noun ending
–tic
pertaining to; t added to make it sound better
–tome
instrument for cutting
–tomy
cutting
–trophic
pertaining to nourishment or growth
–trophy
nourishment, growth
–us
anatomical structure word ending
–y
disease
ALS
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
AU
both ears (Latin auris uterque)
AD
right ear (Latin auris dextra)
AS
left ear (Latin auris sinistra)
CNS
central nervous system
CSF
cerebrospinal fluid
CVA
cerebrovascular accident; stroke
EEG
electroencephalogram
EENT
eye, ear, nose, and throat
ENT
ear, nose, and throat
EMG
electromyogram
HEENT
head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat
ICP
intracranial pressure (not Insane Clown Posse)
IOL
intraocular lens
IOP
intraocular pressure
LASIK
laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis
LOC
level of consciousness
LP
lumbar puncture
MRA
magnetic resonance angiography
MRI
magnetic resonance imaging
MS
multiple sclerosis
OU
both eyes (Latin oculus uterque)
OD
right eye (Latin oculus dexter)
OS
left eye (Latin oculus sinistra)
PET
positron emission tomography
PERRLA
pupils are equal, round, reactive to light, and accommodate
PNS
peripheral nervous system
TIA
transient ischemic attack
