Medical

Terminology

Commonly Used
Roots, Prefix and
Suffix
By
Madarina Julia
E. Suryadi

Basic Word Structure

PANCYTOPENIA
PREFIX
COMBININ
WORD G VOWEL
ROOT
SUFFI
X
COMBINING
FORM

Tissue

Tissues may have different

terms in normal and
diseased states
NORMAL: LATIN WORD

DISEASED/ ABNORMAL:
GREEK WORD

TESTIS
UTERUS
VAGINA
OVARIUM
TUBA
NASUS
ORIS
HEPAR

normal and
orch/o abnormal
orchitis
metr/o
colp/o

endometriti
s
colpitis
vaginitis
oophor/o
Oophoritis
salphynx
salphyngiti
rhin/o
s
stomat/one
rhinitis
p
Stomatitis
hepat/o

normal and abnormal

REN
COR
PULMO

nephr/o
cardi/o
pneum/o

nephritis
carditis
pneumoniti
s
pneumonia
CORNEA
kerat/o
keratitis
AURIS
ot/o
otitis
CEREBRUM encephal/o
encephaliti
s

Tissu
e
ADIPOSE TISSUE
Fascia adiposa
LIP/O
: FAT

Lipolysis
Lipogenesis
Lipodystrophy
lipoma

Tissu
e
OSSEUS/OS
Os femur, os radius, os
pallatum, medulla
osseum
OSTE/O - : BONE
Osteogenesis imperfecta
Osteoblast
Osteomyelitis

Tissu
e
NERVUS
Nernus ischiadicus, n.
axillaris
NEUR/O
: NERVE
neuralgia
neuropathy
neuritis

Tissu
e

MUSCULUS
Musculus pectoralis major,
m. rectus abdominis
MY/O
MYS/O: MUSCLE
myopathy
myositis
Myoglobin
Myofibra
Myocardium
Myometrium

Tissu
e
CARTILAGO
Cartilago thyreoidea, cartilago
septi nasi
CHONDR/O : CARTILAGE
chondrodysplasia
Achondroplasia
Osteogenesis enchondralis
Chondrogenesis

Tissu
e

CUTIS
CUTANE/0
Intracutane, subcutane
DERMIS
DERMAT/O
: SKIN

dermatitis
leukoderma
epidermis
dermatology

Tissu
e

VASA
VASCUL/O
vascularisation, avascular
ANGI/O : BLOOD VESSEL

angiopathy/ vasculopathy
angiography
Angiogram
angioma
Vasculitis

Tissu
e

SANGUIS; SANGUINIS
HEM/O =HAIMA
EM
HEMAT/O: BLOOD

hematology
hematopoiesis
anemia
cholesterolemia
hemoglobin

Color=
chrom

LEUK/O : ALBUS : WHITE

ALBINO,
CORPUS ALBICAN
LINEA ALBA
LEUKOCYTE
LEUKOCYTURIA
LEUKOCYTOSIS
LEUKEMIA
LEUKODERMA
LEUKODYSTROPHY
LEUKOPLAKIA
LEUKORRHEA
FLUOR ALBUS

Color =
chrom
MELAN/O :
FUSCUS : BLACK
MELANOCYTE
MELANOBLAST
MELANOMA
MELANURIA
MELANIN
MELENA

Color
ERYTHR/O : RUBRO :
RED
CORPUS RUBRUM
NUCLEUS RUBER

ERYTHROBLAST
ERYTHROCYTE
ERYTHROCLAST
ERYTHEMATOUS
ERYSIPELAS
ERYTHREMIA
ERYTHRODERMA

Colo
r
CYAN/O: BLUE
CYANOTIC
CYANOSIS
CYANOPHIL
CYANOPSIA
CYANOLABE
glaucos : bluish green
Griseus : bluish grey

Color
CHLOR/O:CHLOASMA
: GREEN
CHLOROMA
CHLOROPHYL
CHLOROPSIA
CHLOROLABE

COLOR

GRISEUS = POLIOS =
PHAIOS =GREY
Substantia grisea
Poliomyelitis

Colo
r
XANTH/O: FLAVUS:
LUTEUS: YELLOW
CORPUS LUTEUM
XANTHOCHROMIC
XANTHOCHROMIA
XANTHELASMA
XANTHOMA
XANTHOPSIA

Body activities
Audio = acouo = to hear
Opsia = opia = blepo =
to see
Phagien = to eat
Dipsa = to drink
Phrasis = to speech
Laleo = to talk
Gradior = to walk
Halo = pneu = to
breathe
Oureo = to urinate
Ergo = to work
Sedeo =sella = to sit

Osme = bromo =to smell

Mnena = memory
Palpo = to touch
Kineo= moveo = to
move
Gustatus = geuma = to
taste
Hypnos = somnus =
sopor= to sleep
Glutio = to swallow
Defaecatio= chezo = to
defaecate

Qualitative Measurement
Major= magnus
= mega = great
Minor = parvus
= small
Breve = short
Longus = long
Durum = hard

Mollis = soft
Bradys = tardus =
slow
Tachys = celer =
fast
Poly = multi =
many
Oligos = few = rare
Asthenia = weak

prefix
Location
supra/super /
retr/o

ultra
epi

par/a
peri

end/o
ento en
eso
intra
infra/ sub

extra
ect/o
exo
ec

prefix
Location
mes/o
Circum/peri

Ante = before
Meta = behind
Trans = beyond, to the other side
Inter = between, among
Dia = complete = through
Per = through, over
Ana = upon, upwards
Cata = downward

prefix Location
examples:

ectopic pregnancy
ectoderm, mesoderm, endoderm
encephalitis
endometrium vs. parametrium
endotoxin vs. exotoxin
Periosteum, pericardium
Circumoral, circumductio
retroperitoneal
suprarenal, etc.

prefix - number
A/AN
NULLI

WITHOUT
LACKING
DEFICIENT

ANEMIA
APLASTIC ANEMIA
ANALGESIA
NULLIPARA

prefix number

hemi

HALF

semi

PARTIAL

HEMIPARESIS
HEMIPLEGIA
HEMIHYPERTROPHY
SEMICOMATOSE

prefix number
uni - mono

MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY
MONOPARESIS
MONONUCLEAR CELLS
UNICELLULAR
UNILATERAL

st

primi

prefix number

PRIMIPARA, PRIMIPAROUS
PRIMIGRAVIDA
PRIMITIVE
PRIMORDIAL GERM CELLS

prefix number
BI DI(PLO)
BICUSPID VALVE
BICEPS
BIFURCATIO
DIPLOCOCCUS
DIPLOID

prefix number
MULTI MANY :
MULTIPARA, MULTINUCLEAR
GIANT CELLS, MULTIGRAVIDA

3 - TRI :
TRICUSPIDALIS, TRI IN DIE

4 - TETRA :
TETRAPARESES, TETRAPLEGIA

5 - PENTA : PENTAMER

negative sense
ANTI (ANT):
CONTRA =
AGAINST, OPPOSED

ANTIBIOTIC
ANTIHISTAMINE
ANTITOXIN

MAL = BAD
Malnutrition, malaria
A, AN = ABSENCE OF SOMETHING,
DEFICIENT
Anaerobe, anemia,
anhidrosis

negative sense
dys :
difficult, painful, abnormal
DYSMENORRHEA
DYSPEPSIA
DYSTROPHY
(DUCHENNE
MUSCULODYSTROPHY)

hyper and hypo

hyper : beyond normal, excessive, over
hypo: under, deficient, below normal

HYPOGLYCEMIA
HYPERGLYCEMIA
HYPOTHYROIDISM HYPERTHYROIDIS
M
HYPOTENSI
HYPERTENSI
HYPODERMIC

tachy and brady

tachy: rapid, fast
brady: slow
tachycardia
tachypnea

bradycardia
bradypnea

suffix noun
a, ia, y, sia,
sis, asia, asis,
esis, ema,
ism, us:
dyspnea, rhinorrhea
anemia,
osteomalacia
hypertrophy
ectasia
arteriosclerosis

state,
condition
nephrolithiasis
erythema
hyperchromasi
a
diuresis
synergism
hydrocephalus

suffix noun
itis
oma
,ma
oophoritis
endometritis
colitis ulcerosa
hepatitis
carditis

inflammation
tumor, disease
fibroadenoma
adenocarcinoma
glioma
edema
lymphoma

Suffix
NOUN - ADJECTIVE
NOUN

ADJECTIVE

cyanosis
anemia
nervus
sclerosis
stenosis
paralysis

cyanotic
anemic
nervous
sclerotic
stenotic
paralytic

SUFFIXES
-ALGIA =
PAIN
-CELE =
HERNIA
-CENTESIS = SURGICAL PUNCTURE TO REMOTE
A FLUID
-PENIA =
DECREASE
-DYNIA = PAIN
-LYSIS =
DESTRUCTION = BREAKDOWN
-MALACIA = SOFTENING
-OPSY =
TO VIEW
-POIESIS = FORMATION
-PLASIA = DEVELOPMENT

SUFFIXES
-OSIS = ABNORMAL CONDITION
-PATHY = DISEASE
-PEXY = FIXATION
-STASIS = STOPPING. CONTROLING
-SCOPE = INSTRUMENT FOR
EXAMINATION
-PTOSIS = DROPPING

Further Readings
Chabner DE. The Language of
Medicine. W.B. Saunders
Company, 1981
Dunmore CW, Fleischer RM.
Medical Terminology. Exercises
in Etymology, 2nd ed. F.A Davis
Company, 1985
Dennerll JT. Medical
Terminology. A Programmed
Text, 5th ed. John Wiley & Sons,
Inc., 1988