Medical Terminology: Prefix and Roots

A/an

without, out

Ab, apo, de

Away from

Abdomin

Abdomen

Actino

radiated structure, ray

Ad

to, toward, near

Adip/o

fat

Aerlo

air, gas

Alb, albumin, leuklo

white

alge

pain

allo

not normal

alveo

hollow

amaur

dark

Ambi, amphi, ampho

both

ambly

dim, dull

Ambulo

walk about

Aneurysm/o

localized abnormal dilatation of a vessel

Aniso

unequal, dissimilar

Ankyl

attached, crooked

Ante, fore, pre, pro

before, forward

anter/o

in front of

anti,contra,counter

against, opposite

Astro

combining form indicating relationship to a star

atel

imperfect

Auto

self

Bi, bin, di, diplo, dis

two, twice

Bio

life

Blast

germ

Brachy, brevi

short

Brady

slow

Bucc

cheek

Caco

bad, ill

Calori

heat

Cardio

heart

Cata

down

Centi

one-hundredth

Cervico

neck

Chir

hand

Chlor, verdin

Green

Chroma

color

Chron

time

Ciner, glauc, polio

gray

Circum, peri

around

Cirrh, flav, lute, xanth

yellow

Clas

Break, smash

Clin

Bedside

Co, com, con, sym, syn

together, with

Cry

cold

Cryo

Cold

Crypt

Hidden

Cyano

blue

Cycl

round, circular

Cyt

cell

Deca

ten

Deci

one-tenth

Demi, hemi, semi

half

Dextro

to the right

di, dis

apart from

Dia, per, trans

across through

Dolicho

Long

Dorsi, dorso

back

Dys

difficult, painful

E, ec, ex

out from

Ecto, extra, extro

outside

Em, en, im, in

in

Endo, ento, intra

within

Epi

over, upon

Erythr, rube

red

Eso

inward

Eu

easily, well

Eury

broad

extra, hyper, per, pleo, super

outside of, excessive, more

Febri

fever

Gen

producing

Gero

aged

Glyco

sweet, sugar

Gony

knee

Gust

taste

Haplo

single, simple

Hecto

hundred

Hept, sept

seven

Heter

different, other

Hex, sex

six

Hidro

sweat

Histo

tissue

Holo

entire, complete

Homo

same

Hydro

water

Hyper

above

Hypno

sleep

Hypo

below, underneath, beneath

Ictero

Jaundice

Im, in, ir, non, un

in, within, not

Infra, sub

deficient

Inter

between

Intra

within

Ipsi, iso

equal, same

Iso

equal

Juxta

near

Kilo

thousand

Kinesio

movement