Common Medical Word Roots, Prefixes, & Suffixes

adip

fat

aer

air

angi

vessel

arteri

artery

arthr

joint

bili

bile

bronch

bronchus

bucc

cheek

carcin

cancer

cephal

head

chondr

cartilage

crani

skull

crin

to secrete

cry

cold

cyan

blue

cyst

bladder

cyt

cell

derm

skin

encephal

brain

enter

intestines

erythr

red

gastr

stomach

gluc; glyc

sugar; glucose

hem; hemat

blood

hist

tissue

later

side

leuk

white

lip

fat

melan

black

my

muscle

a-; an-

without

aniso-

unequal

ante-

before; in front of

anti-

against

bi-

two

brady-

slow

circum-

around

di-

two; twice

dys-

bad; difficult

endo-

within; inner

epi-

on; over; upon

extra-

outside

hemi-

half

homo-

same

hyper-

excessive; high

hypo-

deficient; low

intra-

within

macro-; mega-

large

micro-

small

mono-

one

peri-

around

post-

after

pre-

before

semi-

half

super-

above; upper

supra-

above

tachy-

fast; rapid

trans-

across; through

tri-

three

-ac; -al

pertaining to

algia-

pain

-blast

immature cell

-centesis

puncture; aspiration of

-cyte

cell

-ectomy

excision; removal

-emia

blood condition

-ia

state or condition

-oma

tumor

-osis

condition; abnormal process

-ous

pertaining to

-pathy

disease

-penia

deficiency

-plegia

paralysis; stroke

-pnea

breathing

-poiesis

formation

-rhea; -rrhea

flow

-scope

viewing; instrument for viewing

-scopy

to view, examination of

-spasm

twitch; involuntary muscle movement

-tomy

cutting; incision

-us

pertaining to