Ch 1 - Intro to MedTerm

Word root

Provides the general meaning of the word; often indicates body system/part of body

Combining vowel

A vowel added between word roots or between word root and suffix that makes the word possible to pronounce

Combining form

A way that a word root is written by itself which indicates the combining vowel to use

Bi/o

Life

Carcin/o

Cancer

Cardi/o

Heart

Chem/o

Chemical

Cis/o

To cut

Dermat/o

Skin

Enter/o

Small intestine

Gastr/o

Stomach

Gynec/o

Female

Hemat/o

Blood

Immun/o

Protection

Laryng/o

Larynx; voice box

Nephr/o

Kidney

Neur/o

Nerve

Ophthalm/o

Eye

Ot/o

Ear

Path/o

Disease

Pulmon/o

Lung

Rhin/o

Nose

Prefix

Added to the beginning of the word; typically indicate location, number, or time/frequency

A-; an-; de-

Without

Anti-

Against

Auto-

Self

Brady-

Slow

Dys-

Painful; difficult; abnormal

Endo-

Within; inner

Epi-

Above

Eu-

Normal

Ex-

Outward

Extra-

Outside of

Hetero-

Different

Homo-

Same

Hyper-

Excessive

Hypo-

Below; insufficient

In-

Not; inward

Inter-

Between

Intra-

Within

Macro-

Large

Micro-

Small

Neo-

New

Para-

Beside; abnormal; two like parts of a pair

Per-

Through

Peri-

Around

Pre-; pro-

Before

Post-

After

Pseudo-

False

Re-

Again

Retro-

Backward; behind

Sub-

Under

Tachy-

Fast

Trans-

Across

Ultra-

Beyond

Un-

Not

Bi-

Two

Hemi-

Half

Mono-

One

Multi-; poly-

Many

Nulli-

None

Pan-

All

Quadri-; tetra-

Four

Semi-

Partial

Tri-

Three

Suffix

Added to the end of the word to indicate a condition, disease, or procedure for example

\-algia; -dynia

Pain

\-cele

Protrusion

\-cyte

Cell

\-ectasis

Dilation

\-gen

That which produces

\-genic

Producing

\-ia

Condition

\-iasis; -osis

Abnormal condition

\-ism

State of

\-itis

Inflammation

\-logist

One who studies

\-logy

Study of

\-lytic

Destruction

\-malacia

Abnormal softening

\-megaly

Enlarged

\-oma

Tumor; mass

\-opsy

View of

\-pathy

Disease

\-plasm

Formation

\-plegia

Paralysis

\-ptosis

Drooping

\-rrhage

Abnormal flow

\-rrhagia

Abnormal flow condition

\-rrhea

Discharge

\-rrhexis

Rupture

\-sclerosis

Hardening

\-stenosis

Narrowing

\-therapy

Treatment

\-trophy

Development

Adjective suffixes

Suffixes that turn a word root into an adjective

List of all the adjective suffixes (don’t memorize?)

\-ac; -al; -an; -ar; -ary; -atic; -eal; -iac; -ic; -ical; -ile; -ine; -ior; -nic; -ory; -ose; -ous; -tic

\-centesis

Puncture to withdraw fluid

\-ectomy

Surgical removal

\-ostomy

Surgically create an opening