Medical Terminology

Commonly Used Roots, Prefix and Suffix

By Madarina Julia E. Suryadi

Basic Word Structure

PANCYTOPENIA
PREFIX COMBINING WORD VOWEL ROOT SUFFIX
COMBINING FORM

Tissue
Tissues may have different terms in normal and diseased states

NORMAL: LATIN WORD

DISEASED/ ABNORMAL: GREEK WORD

normal and abnormal

TESTIS UTERUS VAGINA orchitis endometritis colpitis vaginitis oophor/o Oophoritis salphynx salphyngitis rhin/o rhinitis stomat/onep Stomatitis hepat/o hepatitis orch/o metr/o colp/o

OVARIUM TUBA NASUS ORIS HEPAR

normal and abnormal

REN COR PULMO
CORNEA AURIS CEREBRUM

nephr/o cardi/o pneum/o

kerat/o ot/o encephal/o

nephritis carditis pneumonitis pneumonia keratitis otitis encephalitis

Tissue
ADIPOSE TISSUE Fascia adiposa LIP/O : FAT
Lipolysis Lipogenesis Lipodystrophy lipoma

Tissue
OSSEUS/OS Os femur, os radius, os pallatum, medulla osseum OSTE/O : BONE
Osteogenesis imperfecta Osteoblast Osteomyelitis

Tissue
NERVUS Nernus ischiadicus, n. axillaris NEUR/O : NERVE neuralgia neuropathy neuritis

Tissue
MUSCULUS Musculus pectoralis major, m. rectus abdominis MY/O MYS/O: MUSCLE myopathy myositis Myoglobin Myofibra Myocardium Myometrium

Tissue
CARTILAGO Cartilago thyreoidea, cartilago septi nasi CHONDR/O : CARTILAGE chondrodysplasia Achondroplasia Osteogenesis enchondralis Chondrogenesis

Tissue
CUTIS CUTANE/0 Intracutane, subcutane DERMIS DERMAT/O : SKIN
dermatitis leukoderma epidermis dermatology

Tissue
VASA VASCUL/O vascularisation, avascular ANGI/O : BLOOD VESSEL
angiopathy/ vasculopathy angiography Angiogram angioma Vasculitis

Tissue
SANGUIS; SANGUINIS HEM/O =HAIMA EM HEMAT/O: BLOOD
hematology hematopoiesis anemia cholesterolemia hemoglobin

Color= chrom
LEUK/O : ALBUS : WHITE
ALBINO, CORPUS ALBICAN LINEA ALBA LEUKOCYTE LEUKOCYTURIA LEUKOCYTOSIS LEUKEMIA LEUKODERMA LEUKODYSTROPHY LEUKOPLAKIA LEUKORRHEA FLUOR ALBUS

Color = chrom
MELAN/O : FUSCUS : BLACK
MELANOCYTE MELANOBLAST MELANOMA MELANURIA MELANIN MELENA

Color
ERYTHR/O : RUBRO : RED
CORPUS RUBRUM NUCLEUS RUBER

ERYTHROBLAST ERYTHROCYTE ERYTHROCLAST ERYTHEMATOUS ERYSIPELAS ERYTHREMIA ERYTHRODERMA

Color
CYAN/O: BLUE
CYANOTIC CYANOSIS CYANOPHIL CYANOPSIA CYANOLABE glaucos : bluish green Griseus : bluish grey

Color
CHLOR/O:CHLOASMA : GREEN
CHLOROMA CHLOROPHYL CHLOROPSIA CHLOROLABE

COLOR

GRISEUS = POLIOS = PHAIOS =GREY Substantia grisea Poliomyelitis

Color
XANTH/O: FLAVUS: LUTEUS: YELLOW
CORPUS LUTEUM XANTHOCHROMIC XANTHOCHROMIA XANTHELASMA XANTHOMA XANTHOPSIA

Body activities
Audio = acouo = to hear Opsia = opia = blepo = to see Phagien = to eat Dipsa = to drink Phrasis = to speech Laleo = to talk Gradior = to walk Halo = pneu = to breathe Oureo = to urinate Ergo = to work Sedeo =sella = to sit Osme = bromo =to smell Mnena = memory Palpo = to touch Kineo= moveo = to move Gustatus = geuma = to taste Hypnos = somnus = sopor= to sleep Glutio = to swallow Defaecatio= chezo = to defaecate

Qualitative Measurement
Major= magnus = mega = great Minor = parvus = small Breve = short
Longus = long Durum = hard
Mollis = soft Bradys = tardus = slow Tachys = celer = fast Poly = multi = many Oligos = few = rare Asthenia = weak

prefix Location
retr/o

supra/super /ultra
epi extra ect/o exo ec

par/a

peri

end/o ento - en eso intra infra/ sub

prefix Location

mes/o Circum/peri

Ante = before Meta = behind Trans = beyond, to the other side Inter = between, among Dia = complete = through Per = through, over Ana = upon, upwards Cata = downward

prefix Location examples:

ectopic pregnancy ectoderm, mesoderm, endoderm encephalitis endometrium vs. parametrium endotoxin vs. exotoxin Periosteum, pericardium Circumoral, circumductio retroperitoneal suprarenal, etc.

prefix - number
A/AN NULLI
WITHOUT LACKING DEFICIENT

ANEMIA APLASTIC ANEMIA ANALGESIA NULLIPARA


hemi semi

prefix - number
HALF
PARTIAL

HEMIPARESIS HEMIPLEGIA HEMIHYPERTROPHY SEMICOMATOSE

prefix - number
uni - mono

MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY MONOPARESIS MONONUCLEAR CELLS UNICELLULAR UNILATERAL

primi
PRIMIPARA, PRIMIPAROUS PRIMIGRAVIDA PRIMITIVE PRIMORDIAL GERM CELLS

st 1

prefix - number

prefix - number
BI - DI(PLO)
BICUSPID VALVE BICEPS BIFURCATIO DIPLOCOCCUS DIPLOID

prefix - number
MULTI MANY :
MULTIPARA, MULTINUCLEAR GIANT CELLS, MULTIGRAVIDA

3 - TRI :
TRICUSPIDALIS, TRI IN DIE

4 - TETRA :
TETRAPARESES, TETRAPLEGIA

5 - PENTA : PENTAMER

negative sense
ANTI (ANT): CONTRA = AGAINST, OPPOSED

ANTIBIOTIC ANTIHISTAMINE ANTITOXIN

MAL = BAD Malnutrition, malaria A, AN = ABSENCE OF SOMETHING, DEFICIENT Anaerobe, anemia, anhidrosis

negative sense

dys :
difficult, painful, abnormal
DYSMENORRHEA DYSPEPSIA DYSTROPHY (DUCHENNE MUSCULODYSTROPHY)

DYSURIA

hyper and hypo

hyper : beyond normal, excessive, over hypo: under, deficient, below normal
HYPOGLYCEMIA HYPERGLYCEMIA HYPOTHYROIDISM HYPERTHYROIDISM HYPOTENSI HYPERTENSI HYPODERMIC

tachy and brady

tachy: rapid, fast brady: slow tachycardia tachypnea bradycardia bradypnea

suffix noun
a, ia, y, sia, sis, asia, asis, esis, ema, ism, us:
dyspnea, rhinorrhea anemia, osteomalacia hypertrophy ectasia arteriosclerosis

state, condition
nephrolithiasis erythema hyperchromasia diuresis synergism hydrocephalus

suffix noun
itis
oma, ma oophoritis endometritis colitis ulcerosa hepatitis carditis

inflammation
tumor, disease fibroadenoma adenocarcinoma glioma edema lymphoma

Suffix NOUN - ADJECTIVE NOUN

cyanosis anemia nervus sclerosis stenosis paralysis

ADJECTIVE
cyanotic anemic nervous sclerotic stenotic paralytic

SUFFIXES
-ALGIA = PAIN -CELE = HERNIA -CENTESIS = SURGICAL PUNCTURE TO REMOTE A FLUID -PENIA = DECREASE -DYNIA = PAIN -LYSIS = DESTRUCTION = BREAKDOWN -MALACIA = SOFTENING -OPSY = TO VIEW -POIESIS = FORMATION -PLASIA = DEVELOPMENT

SUFFIXES
-OSIS = ABNORMAL CONDITION -PATHY = DISEASE -PEXY = FIXATION -STASIS = STOPPING. CONTROLING -SCOPE = INSTRUMENT FOR EXAMINATION -PTOSIS = DROPPING

Further Readings
Chabner DE. The Language of Medicine. W.B. Saunders Company, 1981 Dunmore CW, Fleischer RM. Medical Terminology. Exercises in Etymology, 2nd ed. F.A Davis Company, 1985 Dennerll JT. Medical Terminology. A Programmed Text, 5th ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1988