Medical Terminology
Prefix
Meaning
Root
Meaning
Suffix
Meaning
a-, an-
without
abdomin(o)
abdomen
-a/al/ary
pertaining to
ante-
before, forward
aden(o)
gland
-algia
pain
anti-
against
angi(o)
vessel
-ar/iac/ic
pertaining to
auto-
self
arteri(o)
artery
-asis
abnormal condition
bi-
two
arthr(o)
joint
-cele
hernia, protrusion
brady-
slow
ather(o)
fatty plaque
-centesis
surgical puncture
contra-
against
bronch(o)
bronchus
-cyte
cell
de-
removal, down
carcin(o)
cancer
-ectasis
dilation
dia-
through, across
cardi(o)
heart
-ectomy
surgical removal
dis-
apart, abnormal
cephal(o)
head
-emesis
vomiting
dys-
bad, painful
chol(o)
bile
-emia
blood condition
ecto-
outside
col(o)
colon
-genesis
creation, origin
en-
within, in
crani(o)
skull
-genic
producing
endo-
within, inner
dent(o)
teeth
-gram
record, picture
epi-
upon
derma(o)
skin
-graph
instrument for recording
eryth-
red
duoden(o)
duodenum
-ial/ical
pertaining to
eu-
good, normal
encephal(o)
brain
-iasis
disease condition
ex-
out, away
enter(o)
intestine
-ism
condition
hemi-
half
gastr(o)
stomach
-itis
inflammation
hyper-
too much, above
gluc(o)
glucose, sugar
-lysis
breakdown
hypo-
below, too low
gyne(c)(o)
female
-megaly
enlargement
in-
in, not
hem(e/a/at/o)
blood
-meter
measuring device
inter-
between
hepat(o)
liver
-ologist
specialist
intra-
within
hydr(o)
water
-ology
study of
leuk-
white
lapar(o)
abdomen (via incision)
-oma
tumor
macro-
large
lipo
fat
-opsy
view, examine
mal-
bad
mamm(o)
breast
-osis
abnormal condition
meg-
large
mast(o)
breast
-pathy
disease
Prefix
Meaning
Root
Meaning
Suffix
Meaning
micro-
small
my(o)
muscle
-penia
deficiency
mono-
one
necr(o)
death
-pexy
fixation
neo-
new
nephr(o)
kidney
-phagia
eating
non-
not, none
neur(o)
nerve
-phasia
speech
olig-
few
ophtho(m)
eye
-phobia
fear
per-
through
orchid(o)
testis
-plasty
surgical repair
peri-
around
oste(o)
bone
-plegia
paralysis
poly-
many
phleb(o)
vein
-ptosis
drooping
post-
after
pnea
breathing
-rrhage
excessive flow
pre-
before
psych(o)
mind
-rrhea
discharge
pro-
before
pulm(o)
lung
-scope
instrument for viewing
quad(ri)-
four
rhin(o)
nose
-scopy
examination with a scope
re-
again
sang(o)
blood
-stasis
stoppage
retro-
backward, behind
sarc(o)
flesh
-stomy
opening
semi-
half
scler(o)
hard
-tomy
incision
sero-
serum
splen(o)
spleen
-uria
urine condition
sub-
under
sten(o)
narrow
supra-
above
tension
pressure
tachy-
fast
therm(o)
heat
trans-
across
thorac(o)
chest
uni-
one
thromb(o)
clot
trache(o)
trachea
trophy
nourishment
ur(o)
urine
vas(o)
vessel
ven(o/ous)
vein
vertebr(o)
vertebra