Common Medical Suffixes

Suffixes Indicating Reference or Pertaining To

• -ar, -ous: Referring to or pertaining to
  • Celiac: Pertains to the bowels
  • Gastric: Refers to the stomach
  • Venous: Refers to the veins

Suffixes Indicating Pain or Removal

• -algia: Pain
  • Neuralgia: Pain along a nerve path
• -aesis: Remove blood from the body
  • Aquapheresis: Removing blood to filter out water in congestive heart failure

Suffixes Indicating Weakness or Surgical Procedures

• -aia: Weakness
  • Myasthenia Gravis: Serious muscle weakness
• -centesis: To puncture surgically
  • Amniocentesis: Puncturing amniotic sac to remove fluid for testing

Suffixes Indicating Killing or Secretion

• -cide: Killer
  • Fungicide: Kills fungi
• -crine: To secrete
  • Endocrine: Glands that secrete hormones

Suffixes Indicating Cells, Running, or Expansion

• -cyte: Cell
  • Erythrocyte: Red blood cell
• -drome: Running or occurring
  • Syndrome: Signs or symptoms occurring together
• -ectasis: Dilate or expand
  • Angiectasis: Dilation of blood vessels

Suffixes Indicating Cutting, Blood Conditions, or Carrying

• -ectomy: To cut out
  • Tonsillectomy: Removal of tonsils
• -emia: Blood condition
  • Anemia: Condition of lacking blood cells
• -ferent: To carry
  • Afferent: Carry signals to the central nervous system

Suffixes Indicating Driving Away, Causing, or Recording

• -fuge: To drive away
  • Centrifuge: Drives away red blood cells in a lab setting
• -gen: To produce or cause
  • Carcinogen: Causes cancer
• -gram: To record or draw
  • Mammogram: X-ray picture of breast tissue

Suffixes Indicating Conditions, Specialties, or States

• -ia: Condition
  • Pneumonia: Condition affecting the lungs
• -iatrics: Specialty
  • Pediatrics: Care of children
• -ism, -osis, -ty: State or condition
  • Hypothyroidism: State of an underactive thyroid

Suffixes Indicating Inflammation, Study, or Breakdown

• -itis: Inflammation
  • Dermatitis: Inflammation of the skin
• -logy, -logist: Study or study of
  • Nephrology: Study of the kidneys
• -lysis: To break apart
  • Hemolysis: Breakdown of red blood cells

Suffixes Indicating Obsession, Weakening, or Enlargement

• -mania: Obsession
  • Kleptomania: Obsession with stealing
• -malacia: Weakening or softening
  • Osteomalacia: Softening of bones
• -megaly: Enlargement
  • Splenomegaly: Enlargement of the spleen

Suffixes Indicating Tumors, Vision, or Disease

• -oma: Tumor
  • Sarcoma: Tumor from connective tissue
• -opia: Vision
  • Myopia: Nearsightedness
• -pathy: Disease or suffering
  • Neuropathy: Disease of the nerves

Suffixes Indicating Weakness, Decrease, or Digestion

• -paresis: Weak or paralyzed
  • Gastroparesis: Stomach paralysis causing delayed emptying
• -penia: Decrease or lacking
  • Leukopenia: Lack of white blood cells
• -pepsia: Digestion
  • Dyspepsia: Indigestion

Suffixes Indicating Fear, Growth, or Living Substance

• -phobia: Fear
  • Lilapsophobia: Fear of storms
• -plasia: Growth or development
  • Hyperplasia: Abnormal cell growth
• -plasm: Living substance
  • Cytoplasm: Living substance of the cell

Suffixes Indicating Reshaping, Paralysis, or Breathing

• -plasty: To reshape
  • Rhinoplasty: Reshaping of the nose
• -plegia: Paralysis
  • Quadriplegia: Paralysis of all four limbs
• -pnea: Breathing
  • Apnea: Without breathing

Suffixes Indicating Production, Sagging, or Bleeding

• -poiesis: To make or produce
  • Erythropoiesis: Production of red blood cells
• -ptosis: Sagging or dropping down
  • Hysteroptosis: Dropping of the uterus
• -rrhagia, -rrhage: Heavy bleeding
  • Hemorrhage: Internal bleeding

Suffixes Indicating Discharge, Hardening, or Tools

• -rrhea: Flow or discharge
  • Diarrhea: Fluid discharge
• -sclerosis: Hardening
  • Atherosclerosis: Hardening of arteries
• -scope: Tool for seeing
  • Microscope: Tool to see small objects

Suffixes Indicating Examination, Spasms, or Balancing

• -scopy: Examination
  • Colonoscopy: Examining the colon
• -spasm: Twitching or contractions
  • Bronchospasm: Contraction of bronchi
• -stasis: Ceasing or balance
  • Homeostasis: Balancing in the body

Suffixes Indicating Narrowing, Openings, or Birth

• -stenosis: Narrowing or closing
  • Artery stenosis: Narrowing of arteries
• -stomy: Creating an opening
  • Colostomy: Opening in the colon
• -tocia: Birth process
  • Dystocia: Difficult birth

Suffixes Indicating Cutting, Growth, or Urine

• -tomy: To cut
  • Hysterectomy: Removal of the uterus
• -trophy: Growth or nourishment
  • Atrophy: Lack of growth
• -uria: Urine
  • Hematuria: Blood in urine

This wraps up the common medical suffixes. For more information, additional resources and videos are available.