Medical Suffixes Overview

Overview

This lecture covers common medical suffixes, their meanings, and examples to help identify medical terms often encountered in healthcare.

Suffixes Indicating Relation or Condition

• Suffixes -ar, -ic, -ous mean "pertaining to" (e.g., gastric = pertaining to the stomach).
• -algia means pain (e.g., neuralgia = pain along a nerve path).
• -esis means to remove blood, filter, and return it (e.g., aquapheresis removes water from blood).
• -asthenia means weakness (e.g., myasthenia gravis = serious muscle weakness).
• -centesis means surgical puncture to remove fluid (e.g., amniocentesis).

Suffixes Indicating Action or Change

• -cide means killer (e.g., fungicide = kills fungi).
• -crine means to secrete (e.g., eccrine glands secrete sweat).
• -cyte means cell (e.g., erythrocyte = red blood cell).
• -drome means running or occurring (e.g., syndrome = symptoms occurring together).
• -ectasis means dilation or expansion (e.g., angiectasis = dilation of blood vessels).
• -ectomy means to cut out or remove (e.g., tonsillectomy = remove tonsils).
• -emia means blood condition (e.g., anemia = lack of red blood cells).
• -ferent means to carry (e.g., afferent = towards, efferent = away from CNS).
• -fuge means to drive away (e.g., centrifuge = separates substances by spinning).
• -gen means producing or causing (e.g., carcinogen = cancer-causing agent).

Suffixes for Diagnosis & Study

• -gram means record or picture (e.g., mammogram = breast x-ray).
• -graphy means process of recording (e.g., radiography = imaging of internal structures).
• -ia, -iasis means condition (e.g., pneumonia = lung condition).
• -iatrics means specialty (e.g., pediatrics = child care specialty).
• -ism, -osis, -ty mean state or condition (e.g., hypothyroidism = underactive thyroid).
• -itis means inflammation (e.g., dermatitis = skin inflammation).
• -logy, -logist mean study or one who studies (e.g., nephrology = study of kidneys).

Suffixes Indicating Pathology or Process

• -lysis means breakdown (e.g., hemolysis = breakdown of red blood cells).
• -mania means obsession (e.g., kleptomania = obsession with stealing).
• -malacia means softening (e.g., osteomalacia = bone softening).
• -megaly means enlargement (e.g., splenomegaly = enlarged spleen).
• -oma means tumor (e.g., sarcoma = connective tissue tumor).
• -opia means vision (e.g., myopia = nearsightedness).
• -pathy means disease (e.g., neuropathy = nerve disease).

Other Common Suffixes

• -paresis means weakness or paralysis (e.g., gastroparesis = weak stomach).
• -penia means deficiency (e.g., leukopenia = low white blood cells).
• -pepsia means digestion (e.g., dyspepsia = indigestion).
• -phagia means eating/swallowing (e.g., dysphagia = difficulty swallowing).
• -phobia means fear (e.g., lilapsophobia = fear of storms).
• -plasia means growth or development (e.g., hyperplasia = abnormal cell growth).
• -plasm means substance of something (e.g., cytoplasm = cell substance).
• -plasty means reshaping (e.g., rhinoplasty = nose reshaping).
• -plegia means paralysis (e.g., quadriplegia = paralysis of four limbs).
• -pnea means breathing (e.g., apnea = absence of breathing).
• -poiesis means formation (e.g., erythropoiesis = red blood cell formation).
• -ptosis means dropping (e.g., hysteroptosis = uterine prolapse).
• -rrhage, -rrhagia mean heavy bleeding (e.g., hemorrhage = internal bleeding).
• -rrhea means flow or discharge (e.g., diarrhea = excessive bowel discharge).
• -sclerosis means hardening (e.g., atherosclerosis = artery hardening).
• -scope means viewing instrument (e.g., colonoscope).
• -scopy means viewing/examining (e.g., colonoscopy).
• -spasm means muscle contraction (e.g., bronchospasm).
• -stasis means stopping or balance (e.g., homeostasis = body balance).
• -stenosis means narrowing (e.g., renal artery stenosis).
• -stomy means creating an opening (e.g., colostomy = colon opening).
• -tocia means birth (e.g., dystocia = difficult birth).
• -tomy means cutting (e.g., hysterectomy = removal of uterus).
• -trophy means growth/nourishment (e.g., atrophy = lack of growth).
• -uria means urine (e.g., hematuria = blood in urine).

Key Terms & Definitions

• Suffix — ending added to a word root to indicate a procedure, condition, or disease.
• -itis — inflammation.
• -ectomy — surgical removal.
• -megaly — enlargement.
• -oma — tumor.
• -rrhea — flow/discharge.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Review this list of suffixes and their meanings.
• Memorize key examples for each suffix.
• Practice recognizing these suffixes in medical terms.