Overview
This lesson covers additional important medical prefixes and suffixes related to location, direction, cellular structures, general terms, processes, and surgical procedures, including practice in breaking down medical terms.
Location and Direction Modifiers
- Apo- means away from or separation.
- Acro- means extremity, as in arms and legs.
- Anter-/Anterio- means in front.
- Am-/Ambi- means both sides.
- Amphi-/Amphio- also means both or both sides.
- Posterior- means behind.
- Dextro- means right or toward the right.
- Levo- means left or toward the left.
- Retro- means behind or backward.
- Alt-/Alti- means high.
Cellular Modifiers
- Athero- means fat.
- Albumin-/Albumino- refers to the protein albumin.
- Band-/Bando- means immature white blood cells.
- Amylo-/Amalo- means starch.
- -Coccus means round (used for round bacteria).
General Terms
- Andro- means male.
- Gyn-/Gyno-/Gyneco- means female.
- Anim- means life.
- Calc- means stones.
- Arachno- means spider.
- Aero- means air or gas.
- Abras-/Abraso- means to rub away.
- Port- means to carry.
- Phon- means sound.
- Cryo- means cold.
- Auto- means self.
- Allo- means different human (same species).
- Xeno- means different species, foreign, or alien.
- Conio- means funnel.
- Cord- means string.
- Chym- means juice or fluid.
- -Cilia means hair.
- Carne- means flesh.
- Carcin-/Carcino- means cancer or tumor.
- Crypt- means hidden.
- Diplo- means double.
- Dolicho- means long or abnormally long.
Process and Process Modifiers
- -Asthenia means weakness.
- Alter- means to change.
- Aspir-/Aspirato- means inhale or inhalation.
- Ante-/Pre- means before.
- Post- means after.
- Primi- means first.
- Acoust-/Acousto- means hearing.
- Audi-/Audio- also means hearing.
- Ox- means to grow or enlarge.
- Ben-/Beni-/Bene- means good.
- Ambul- means to walk.
- Ankyl-/Ankylo- means fused or not straight.
- Contra- means against.
- -Crine means to secrete.
- -Rrhagia/-Rrhegia means heavy flow or bursting with blood.
- -Malacia means softening.
- -Atresia means perforation or opening.
Surgical Process Terms
- -Rrhaphy means suture.
- -Clysis means irrigation or washing.
- -Desis means surgical union or fixation.
- -Centesis means removal of fluid or aspiration.
- -Graft means organ or tissue used for transplantation.
Practice Problems and Examples
- Myasthenia: abnormal condition of muscle weakness.
- Osteomalacia: softening of the bones.
- Diplococcus: double round-shaped bacteria.
- Xenograft: organ/tissue transplant from a different species.
- Autograft: tissue transplant from self.
- Allograft: tissue transplant from a different human (same species).
- Arthrocentesis: removal of fluid from a joint.
- Gastrorrhaphy: suturing of the stomach.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Prefix — word part added to the start to modify meaning.
- Suffix — word part added to the end to modify meaning.
- Centesis — removal of fluid by aspiration.
- Rrhaphy — surgical suture.
- Malacia — softening.
- Rrhagia/Rrhegia — heavy bleeding or flow.
- Graft — tissue or organ for transplantation.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Practice breaking down and defining complex medical terms using the prefixes and suffixes from this lesson.
- Review earlier lessons for additional prefixes and suffixes as needed.
- Prepare for a quiz or assignment on medical term breakdowns.