Medical Terminology - Lesson 1

a- (an- before a vowel or h)

ex: analgesia

"without, lacking, deficient"

sensitivity to pain

anti- (often ant- before a vowel or h; anti- before i)

ex: antitoxin

"opposed to, preventing, relieving"

substance that relieves poisons

di-

ex: diplegia

"two, twice, double"

paralysis in two limbs

dys-

ex: dyspnea

"difficult, painful, defective, abnormal"

breathing

ec- (ex- before a vowel)

ex: myectomy

"out, out of, away from"

surgical cutting out of a muscle

ecto- (ect- before a vowel)

ex: ectogenous

"outside of"

developing outside of an organism

en- (em- before b, m, & p)

ex: entopic

"in, into, within"

in its normal place

endo- (end- before a vowel)

endoscope

"within"

device looking for within

epi- (ep- before a vowel or h)

ex: epicardium

"upon, over, above"

membrane over the heart

exo-

ex: exocardia

"outside, from the outside, toward the outside"

the heart being outside of its normal place

hemi-

ex: hemiparalysis

"half, partial, on one side of the body"

paralysis on half of the body

hyper-

ex: hypertension

"above, excessive, beyond normal"

above normal blood pressure

hypo-

ex: hypacousia

"under, deficient, below normal"

deficient hearing

mono- (mon- before a vowel or h)

ex: monocular

"one, single"

occurring in one eye

peri-

ex: pericardiac

"around"

occurring around the heart

syn- (sym- before b, p, m; sy- before s)

synchila

symbiosis

"together, joined, with"

lips fused together

organisms living together

-osis

abnormal

-iasis

ex: nephrolithiasis

"disease"

kidney stone disease

-in

"substance or protein sometimes a hormone"

-ist

"expert or specialist"

-itis, -itides

"inflammation"

-ium, -eum

"membrane, connective tissue

-iac

person (suffering a condition)

acanth-

thorn, spine

alg-

pain

alges-

sensitivity to pain

all-

other, divergence, difference from

angi-

(blood) vessel, duct

arteri

[air passage] artery

arthr-

joint

bi-

life

brady-

slow

cardi-

heart

cephal-

head

crani-

skull

cyt-

[hollow container] cell

encephal-

brain (a combination of em, in)

erythr-

red, red blood cell

lept-

thin, fine, slight

leuk-

white, white blood cell

lith-

stone, calculus

log-

word, study

malac-

soft

mes-

middle, secondary, partial mesentry

-meter

device for measuring

-metry

measurement of

nephr-

kidney

neur-

[tendon] nerve, nervous system

oste-

bone

prax-

act, action

prot-

first, primitive, early

scler-

hard

sten-

narrow

stere-

solid, having three dimensions

tachy-

rapid

tox(i)-

poison