Canine and Feline Veterinary Terminology, Suffixes, and Prefixes

A comprehensive vocabulary review of 113 canine and feline veterinary medical terms, roots, prefixes, and suffixes including their specific organ references, meanings, and clinical examples.

Pneumo

Body part/organ: Air (Example: pneumothorax)

Anal, ano-

Body part/organ: Anus (Example: perianal gland)

brachial , brachio

Body part/organ: Arm (Example: brachial plexus)

Hem- hemo-hemat-

Body part/organ: Blood (Example: hematemesis)

Thoracic, thorax, thoraco

Body part/organ: Chest (Example: thoracolumbar)

Auricle, oto-

Body part/organ: Ear (Example: otoscopic)

Ocular, oculo, ophthalmo-

Body part/organ: Eye (Example: ophthalmology)

Pedal, ped- pod

Body part/organ: Foot (Example: pinnal-pedal)

Chole, chol-

Body part/organ: Gallbladder (Example: cholestatic)

Cephalic, cephalo

Body part/organ: Head (Example: oculocephalic)

Carium, cardiac, cardio

Body part/organ: Heart (Example: pericardium)

Renal, nephric, nephro

Body part/organ: Kidney (Example: nephrology)

Cheil- labi-

Body part/organ: Lip (Example: cheilitis)

Hepatic, hepato

Body part/organ: Liver (Example: hepatomegaly)

Pulmonary, pulmonic

Body part/organ: Lungs (Example: pulmonic vein)

Oral, os, stoma, stomat-

Body part/organ: Mouth (Example: stomatitis)

Myo-

Body part/organ: Muscle (Example: myocardium)

Ungual

Body part/organ: Nail Bed (Example: subungual)

Cervix, cervical, cervico-

Body part/organ: Neck (Example: cervicothoracic)

Penile

Body part/organ: Penis (Example: penile prolapse)

Periton-

Body part/organ: Peritoneum (Example: Retroperitoneal)

Rectal

Body part/organ: Rectum (Example: Rectal prolapse)

Derma, integumentum

Body part/organ: Skin (Example: dermatitis)

Splen-

Body part/organ: Spleen (Example: Splenomegaly)

Gastic, gastro-

Body part/organ: Stomach (Example: gastric dilitation)

Orchio, orchido

Body part/organ: Testicle (Example: orchiectomy)

Cysti-, cysto-

Body part/organ: Bladder (Example: cystocentesis)

Hystero-, metra

Body part/organ: Uterus (Example: hydometra, hysterectomy)

Vulvo-

Body part/organ: Vulva (Example: vulvoplasty)

-algia

Meaning: pain (Example: arthralgia- painful joints)

-dynia

Meaning: pain (Example: allodynia- neuropathic pain to normal stimuli)

-emia

Meaning: blood condition (Example: anemia- low circulating red cell count)

-ia

Meaning: condition, disease (Example: arthralgia painful condition of the joints)

-itis

Meaning: inflammation (Example: arthritis- joint inflammation)

-lepsy

Meaning: seizure or attack (Example: epilepsy- idiopathic seizure condition)

-malacia

Meaning: softening (Example: osteomalacia- bone softening)

-megaly

Meaning: enlargement (Example: hepatomegaly- liver enlargement)

-oma

Meaning: tumor, mass (Example: lipoma- fatty mass)

-osis

Meaning: abnormal condition (Example: osteoporosis-bone loss condition)

-pathy

Meaning: disease (Example: neuropathy- neurvous system disease)

-penia

Meaning: deficiency (Example: osteopenia- losing bone density)

-plegia

Meaning: paralysis (Example: paraplegia- paralysis of half the body)

-pnea

Meaning: breathing (Example: apnea- not breathing)

-scerlosis

Meaning: hardening (Example: arteriosclerosis- hardening of blood vessels)

-rrhage

Meaning: bursting forth (Example: hemorrhage- bleeding out)

-rrhea

Meaning: flow, discharge (Example: diarrhea- watery stool)

-rrhexis

Meaning: breaking open (Example: aminorrhexis- rupture of amniotic sac)

-centesis

Meaning: puncture, aspiration (Example: cystocentesis- needle aspiration of urine)

-ectomy

Meaning: surgical removal (Example: pericardectomy - removal of pericardial sac)

-genic

Meaning: producing, forming (Example: hallucinogenic- producing hallucinations)

-graphy

Meaning: process of recording (Example: radiography- taking xrays)

-lysis

Meaning: separation (Example: hemolysis- red blood cells breaking down)

-opsy

Meaning: view of , vision (Example: colonoscopy- view of colon)

-plasty

Meaning: surgical repair (Example: episioplasty- repairing the skin around vulva)

-scopy

Meaning: visual examination (Example: cystoscopy- visual examination of bladder)

-stomy

Meaning: opening (Example: esophagostomy tube- tube in esophagus)

-tomy

Meaning: incision, cutting (Example: gastrotomy- incision into stomach)

-uria

Meaning: urine, urination (Example: stranguria- straining to urinate)

A-

Meaning: an, no, not, without (Example: atony- without tone, flaccid)

Ab-

Meaning: away from (Example: abduct- move away from midline)

Ad-

Meaning: toward, near (Example: adduct- move towards midline)

Ana-

Meaning: up, apart (Example: anabolic- building up your metabolism)

Ante-

Meaning: pro, pros, before, forward (Example: antemortem- before death)

Anti-

Meaning: against (Example: anti-diarrhea- prevent diarrhea)

Auto-

Meaning: self (Example: autologous serum- serum from the pet)

Bi-

Meaning: two (Example: bisect- divide in two)

Brady

Meaning: deficient (Example: bradycardia- slow heartrate)

Chromo

Meaning: color (Example: chromogenesis- the production of color)

Co- Com- Con-

Meaning: with, together (Example: comorbidities- anxcillary diseases)

Cyano

Meaning: blue (Example: cyanosis- turning blue from lack of 02)

De-

Meaning: down, lack of (Example: dehydrate- lacking hydration, dry)

Deci-

Meaning: one tenth (Example: deciliter- 1/10th of a liter)

Dia

Meaning: through, between (Example: Diastasis- separation of the abdomen)

Dis-

Meaning: apart, away from (Example: Disability- having limitations)

Dys-

Meaning: bad, painful (Example: Dysphagia- trouble eating)

Ec- Ecto-

Meaning: outside (Example: ectocornea- outerlayer of the cornea)

Endo-

Meaning: within, in, inner (Example: Endodontics- working within the tooth)

Epi

Meaning: above, upon (Example: epidermis- outer layer of skin)

Ex-

Meaning: out (Example: exophytic- extruded out)

Extra-

Meaning: outside of (Example: extrathoracic- outside the chest)

Erythro-

Meaning: red (Example: erythroid cell line- red cell line)

Hemi-

Meaning: half (Example: hemithorax- half of the chest)

Hexa-

Meaning: six (Example: hexagonal crystal- 6 sided crystal)

Hyper

Meaning: excessive, above (Example: hypercoagulable- coagulates easily)

Hypo-

Meaning: below, deficient (Example: hypothyroid- low thyroid function)

Infra

Meaning: below, beneath (Example: infraorbital fat pad- fat below the orbit)

Intra

Meaning: within (Example: Intraabdominal- within the abdomen)

Leuko-

Meaning: White (Example: Leukotrichia- white hair)

Macro-

Meaning: large (Example: Macroglobulinemia- excess IgM production)

Mal

Meaning: bad (Example: Malocculsion- irregular bite)

Melano-

Meaning: black (Example: Melanocyte- pigmented cell)

Meta-

Meaning: change (Example: Metacarpal bones)

Micro

Meaning: small (Example: microscope- to examine small things)

Mono

Meaning: one (Example: monocyte- cell with a single nucleus)

Multi

Meaning: many (Example: Multiparous- producing multiple offspring)

Neo

Meaning: New (Example: neonate- newborn)

Pan

Meaning: all (Example: pancytopenia- all cell lines are low)

Para

Meaning: near, alongside (Example: parathyroid - glands near the thyroid)

Peri

Meaning: surrounding (Example: pericardial sac- sac around the heart)

Post

Meaning: after, behind (Example: postmortem- after death)