Chapter 5: Medical Terminology

common root word, prefixes and suffixes

combining vowel

a vowel used to connect the prefix, root word, or suffix parts of a term

prefix

a modifying component of a term, located at the beginning of the term

root word

the base component of a term, which gives it a meaning that may be modified by other components.

suffix

a modifying component of a term, located at the end of the term

arthr

joint

cardi

heart

cyst

bladder

derma

skin

dont

teeth

encephala

brain

gastr

stomach

glyc

sugar

hemat

blood

hepat

liver

lingu

tongue

mast

breast

my

muscle

nephr

kidney

neur

nerve

ocul

eye

opla

vision

oste

bone

ot

ear

pector

chest

pneum

lung

thorax

chest

thyroid

thyroid

ven

vein

a, an

without

ambi

both

ante

before

anti

against

bi

two or both

brady

slow

chlor

green

circum

around

cirrh

yellow

con

with

contra

against

cyan

blue

dia

across or through

dipl

double

dis

separate from or apart

dys

painful, difficult

ec, ecto

out, outside

em, en, end, endo

within

epi

upon, above

erythr

red

eso

inward

eu

good or normal

exo

outside

glauc

gray

hemi

half

heter

different

homo

same

hyper

above or excessive

hypo

below or deficient

im,, in

not

immun

safe, protected

infra

below or under

inter

between

intra

within

iso

equal

leuk

white

lip

fat

macro

large

mal

bad

medi, mid

middle

melan

black

meso

middle

meta

beyond, after, changing

micro

small

mono

one

multi

many

neo

new

pachy

heavy, thick

pan

all

para

alongside of or abnormal

peri

around

polio

gray

poly

many

post

after

pre, pro

before

primi

first

pseudo

false

purpur

purple

quadri

four

re

again or back

retro

after

rube

red

semi

half

sub

below or lower

super, supra

above or excessive

sym, syn

with

tachy

fast

trans

across, through

tri

three

ultra

beyond or excessive

uni

one

xanath

yellow