BIO 100: Medical Terminology Unit 1 Vocabulary List

A comprehensive collection of medical word parts (prefixes, roots, suffixes) and common medical abbreviations for BIO 100 Unit 1.

a-

no, not, without

-a

(noun ending)

ab-

away from

abdomin/o

abdomen

ac-

pertaining to

-aceous

pertaining to

ad-

to, toward, into

-al

pertaining to

albin/o

white

-ale

pertaining to

-algia

pain

ambi-

both

an-

absence of, without, not

ana-

up, apart

anter/o

front

anti-

against, opposing

append/o

appendix

-ar

pertaining to

arteri/o

artery

arthr/o

joint

articul/o

joint

-ary

pertaining to

-atic

pertaining to

-ation

process of

-atory

pertaining to

bacteri/o

bacteria

bi-

two, twice, double

bi/o

life

bronch/o

bronchus

carcin/o

cancer

cardi/o (Gr)

heart

-cele

hernia, swelling

cephal/o

head

cervic/o

neck

cholecyst/o

gall bladder

chlor/o

green

chondr/o

cartilage

chrom/o

color

circum-

around

col/o

colon, large intestine

colon/o

colon, large intestine

crani/o

skull

crin/o

to secrete

-crine

to secrete

cutane/o (L)

skin

cyan/o

blue

cyst/o (Gr)

bladder, sac

cyt/o

cell

-cyte

cell

derm/o (Gr)

skin

-derma

skin

dermat/o (Gr)

skin

dia-

complete, through, across

dist/o

far, distant

dors/o

back (of the body)

-dynia

pain

dys-

difficult, painful, bad

-eal

pertaining to

-ectomy

excision, surgical removal

-edema

swelling

-elle

small, diminutive

-emesis

vomiting

encephal/o

brain

endo-

in, within

-ent

pertaining to

enter/o

intestine (typically small intestine)

epi-

on, upon, above

erythr/o

red

-esis

condition

gastr/o

stomach

gen/o

to form, to produce, to create

-gen

substance that produces; that which creates

-genesis

creation, origin, formation

-genic

creating, producing, causing

gnos/o

knowledge, knowing

-gram

record, radiographic image, picture

-graph

to record, write

-graphy

process of recording

hem/o

blood

hemat/o

blood

hepat/o

liver

hetero-

other, different

hist/o

tissue

homeo-

same, constant

home/o

same, constant

homo-

same, alike

hyper-

above, excessive

hypo-

below, deficient, under

-ia

condition of, abnormal state

-ial

pertaining to

iatr/o

physician, treatment

-iatry

specialty, treatment

-ic

pertaining to

-ician

specialist

idi/o

own, person, distinct, of unknown cause

-ine

pertaining to

infra-

beneath, below

intra-

in, within

-ion

the act of

-ior

pertaining to