Ch 1: Word Roots

meaning + example

blast/o (blast/ula)

immature cell (small immature cell)

enter/o (enter/itis)

intestine (inflammation of intestine)

malign/o (malign/ant)

bad, cancerous (bad quality, cancerous)

carcin/o (carcin/o/gen/ic)

cancer (cancer causing)

hist/o (hist/o/logy)

tissue (study of tissue)

cyt/o

cell

cardi/o (cardi/o/logist)

heart (someone who studies the heart)

hepat/o (hepat/o/cyte)

liver (liver cell)

neur/o (neur/o/logy)

nerves (study of nerves)

oste/o (oste/o/logy)

bones (study of bones)

gastr/o (gastr/o/logy)

stomach (study of stomach)

hemat/o (hemat/o/logy)

blood (study of blood)

my/o (my/o/pathy)

muscle (diease of muscle)

nephr/o (nephr/oma)

kidney (tumor of kidney)

ren/o (ren/al)

kidney (pertaining to kidney)

derm/o (epi/derm/is)

skin (pertaining to above the skin)

dermat/o (dermat/o/logy)

skin (study of skin)

cutane/o (sub/cutane/ous)

skin (pertaining to under the skin)

stemat/o (stemat/o/pathy)

mouth (disease of mouth)

or/o (or/al)

mouth (pertaining to mouth)

onc/o (onc/o/logy)

tumor, mass (study of tumors)

ped/o (ped/o/phile)

child (attraction to children)

pediatr/o (pediatr/ician)

child (specialist in child care)

sarc/o (sarc/oma)

flesh , soft tissue (tumor of tissue)

toxic/o

poison

immun/o

immunity

ereythr/o (erythr/o/cyte)

red (red blood cell)

therm/o

heat

muscul/o (intra/muscul/ar)

muscle (within the muscle)

crani/o (crani/al)

skull (pertaining to skull)

opthalm/o (opthalm/o/pathy)

eye (disease of eyes)

ocul/o (ocul/ar)

eye (pertaining to eyes)

ot/o (ot/o/scopy)

ear (visual examination of ears)

thromb/o (thromb/o/cyte)

blood clot (blood clotting cell, platelet)

mamm/o (mamm/ary)

breast (pertaining to breast)

colon/o (colon/o/scopy)

colon, large intestine (visual examination of colon)

col/o (col/itis)

colon, large intestine (inflammation of colon)

ile/o (ile/itis)

ileum, small intestine (inflammation of ileum)

thorac/o (thorac/ic)

chest (pertaining to chest)

Pneumon/o (pneumon/ia)

lung (condition affecting lungs)

Pneum/o (pneum/o/thorax)

air, lung

Pulmon/o (pulmon/ary)

lung (pertaining to lungs)

Pleur/o (pleur/itis)

Pleura, membrane surrounding lungs (inflammation of pleura)

angi/o (angi/o/graphy)

blood vessel (image of blood vessels)

ven/o (ven/ous)

vein (pertaining to veins)

Phleb/o (phleb/itis)

vein (inflammation of vein)

rhin/o (rhin/o/plasty)

nose (surgical repair of nose)

douden/o (douden/itis)

doudenum, first part of small intestine

mast/o (a/mast/ia)

breast (without breast condition)

Greek word roots

describe condition, disease, treatment

Latin word roots

describe anatomic structures

leuk/o (leuk/o/cyte)

white (white blood cells)

arthr/o (arthr/itis)

joint (inflammation of joints)

vas/o (vas/ectomy)

duct (surgical removal of vas deferens/ sperm duct)

vas/o (vas/o/dilation)

vessel (widening of blood vessels)

glyc/o (hypo/glyc/emia)

sugar (low blood sugar condition)

gen/o (carcin/o/gen/ic)

producing (cancer causing)

encephal/o (encephal/o/pathy)

brain (disease of brain)

mening/o (mening/itis)

meninges, 3 layer memebrane surrounding brain and spinal cord (inflammation of meninges)

amni/o (amni/o/centesis)

amniotic fluid (puncturing needle to withdraw amniotic fluid)

ten/o (ten/o/desis)

tendons (binding of tendons to bone)

append/o

appendix

splen/o

spleen

hemorrhoid/o

hemorrhoid

hyster/o (hyster/ectomy)

uterus (excision of uterus)

aut/o (aut/o/lysis)

self (self destruction)

hem/o (hem/o/lysis)

blood (destruction of red blood cells)

cyst/o (cyst/o/rrhaphy)

bladder (stiching of bladder)

chol/e (chol/e/lith)

gall, bile (gall stone)

arteri/o (arteri/o/rhaphy)

artery (stiching of artery)

blephar/o (blephar/o/plasty)

eyelid (surgical repair of eyelid)

trache/o (trache/o/stomy)

trachea

Urethr/o (urethr/o/stomy)

Urethra

Ureter/o

Ureter

lith/o (lith/o/tripsy)

stone or calculus (crushing of stone)

tympan/o (tympan/o/tomy)

tympanic membrane, eardrum

electr/o (electr/o/cardi/o/gram)

eletricity (recording of electrical activities of heart)

cholangi/o (cholang/itis)

bile ducts (inflammation of the bile ducts)

ceph/o (ceph/algia)

head (head pain, headache)

cephal/o (cephal/ic)

head

anthrop/o (anthrop/o/metry)

human body (measuring the human body)

aden/o (aden/o/pathy)

gland (disease of gland)

audi/o (audi/o/gram)

hearing (graphic recording of hearing ability)

phon/o (phon/o/cardi/o/gram)

sounds (recording of sounds of heart)

spir/o (spri/o/meter)

breathing (instrument used to measure breathing)

lapar/o (lapar/o/scope)

abdomen (instrument for viual examination of abdomen)

vir/o (vir/emia)

virus (virus in blood condition)

ur/o (ur/o/logy)

urinary system (study of urinary system)

fet/o (fet/o/metry)

fetus (process of measuring fetus)

tom/o (tom/o/graphy)

section, slice (process of recording sections of body)

telangi/o (telangi/ectasis)

small blood vessel (dialtion of small blood vessels)

varic/o (varic/o/cele)

twisted veins

pelv/o (pelv/i/meter)

pelvis (instrument used for measuring pelvis)

ox/o (ox/i/meter)

oxygen (instrument used for measuring oxygen in blood)

opt/o (opt/o/metry)

vision (process of measuring vision)

laryng/o (laryng/itis)

larynx, voice box (inflammation of larynx)

gloss/o (gloss/o/dynia)

tongue (toungue pain)

bronch/o (bronch/itis)

bronchus (inflammation of bronchi)

duct/o

duct

hydr/o

fluid, water