Overview
This lecture simplifies medical terminology by breaking down medical words into prefixes, roots, and suffixes, with a focus on understanding common prefixes related to quantity, color, time, speed, and position.
Structure of Medical Terms
- Medical terms often have a prefix (beginning), root (middle), and suffix (end).
- Prefix: describes location, quantity, size, color, or other characteristics; not always present.
- Root: core meaning of the term, often a body part or system.
- Suffix: indicates disease, condition, procedure, specialty, or test.
Common Prefixes: Quantity and Size
- mono, uni — one or single
- bi, di, diplo — two or double
- tri — three
- quad — four
- semi, hemi — half or one side
- equa, iso — equal
- eu, normo — normal
- hyper — above normal, high, excess
- hypo — below normal, low, decreased
- a, an — absent, lacking
- pan, omni — all
- multi, poly — many
- micro — small
- macro, megalo — large
- oligo — few, little
Prefixes: Color
- chromo, chromato — color
- alb — pale, white
- chloro — green
- cyano — blue
- erythro — red
- glauco — gray, opaque
- leuko — white
- melano — black
- polio — gray
- porphyr — purple
- roseo — rose red
- xantho — yellow
Prefixes: Time and Speed
- pre — before
- post — after
- pro, ante — before
- re — again
- retro — backward
- neo — new
- chrono — time
- tachy — fast
- brady — slow
Prefixes: Location and Position (Above, Below, Sides)
- epi, hyper, supra, super — above, upon
- sub, hypo, infra — below, beneath
- dextro — right
- levo, sinistro — left
Prefixes: Front, Back, Around
- ante, antero, ventri, ventro — front, anterior
- postero, dorsi, dorso — back, posterior
- peri, circum — around, surrounding
Prefixes: Inside, Outside, Toward, Through
- endo, intra, intro — inside, within
- exo, extra, ecto — outside, external
- ab — away from
- ad — toward
- trans — through, across
Prefixes: Middle, Lateral, Nearby, Between, Both Sides
- meso, meta, medi — middle, midline
- lateral — side
- para — nearby, alongside
- juxta — next to
- inter — between
- ambi, amphi — both, both sides
- ipsi — same
- contra — against, opposite
Key Terms & Definitions
- Prefix — beginning part that modifies meaning, often about location, number, or characteristic.
- Root — main part conveying the core meaning (body part/system).
- Suffix — ending part providing detail about condition, procedure, or process.
- Abduction — movement away from the body.
- Adduction — movement toward the body.
- Ipsilateral — on the same side.
- Contralateral — on the opposite side.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review these prefixes and examples for memory.
- Watch future videos for roots and suffixes.
- Check previous video for medical abbreviations.
- Access additional notes and tables via the website link provided in the video description.