General Medical Terms

Medical Terms/ Understanding medical terms

Prefix

Prefix

A prefix is a group of letters added to the beginning of a word to modify its meaning. They can be about:

• Shape

• Size

• Direction

• Color

Prefixes can change the meaning of the base word significantly.

• a-, an- Without, not, or absence of

• ab- Away from or take away

• ad- Towards, to, or near

• ambi-, ambo- Both

Root

Often refers to the part of the body.

Suffix

A suffix is a group of letters added at the end of a word to change its meaning or grammatical function.

In medicine it can be about the same thing as the beginning, or it can be about a test or it can describe a problem.

• -crine: To secrete, such as exocrine

• -cyesis: Pregnancy, such as pseudocyesis

• -cyte: Cell, such as leukocyte

Macro

Large

Micro

Small

Megalo or megaly

Very large

Peri

Peri

Trans

Across

Endo

within or inside

Inter

between

Chloro

Green

Leuk

White

Eryth

Red

Cyan

Blue

Dys

not working correctly/normally

Mal

Bad

Emia

blood condition

Itis

Inflammation

Osis

condition or disease (usually non-inflammatory)

Pathy

Disease

Hyper

above normal/elevated

Hypo

below normal/low

Tachy

Fast

Brady

slow

Echo

ultrasonic waves

Electro

electricity

Ectomy

removal of

Gram

picture

graph or graphy

process of taking a picture

Otomy

making a cut in/removing a part of

Scopy

use of instrument for viewing

Stomy

create an opening in

Plasty

modifying the shape of/repairing

Ology

study of a part of the body

ologist

a specialist working for a specific part of the body or a specific disease

iatry

medical treatment