Greek prefixes, roots, and suffixes

xeros

dry

splen

spleen

phone

voice

thorax

chest cavity

kyanos

blue

mikros

small

kolon

colon

skleros

hard

leukos

white

kinesis

motion

karyon

kernel

kele

swelling

rho

rough breathing

rhodon

rose

rhiza

root

rhythmos

rhythm

rhe

flow

rhag

burst forth

rhaph

sew

hidros

sweat

nephros

kidney

neuron

nerve

psora

sore

psyche

mind

when are connecting vowels used

when a combining form ends in a consonant and the suffix and doesn’t start with p or c and meet suffix beginning with s or t

leukos

white

tachys

fast

glykys

sweet

a

without

anti

against, opposed to, preventing

di

two, twice, double

dys

difficult, painful, defective, abnormal

ec (or ex before vowel)

out of, away from

ecto

outside of

en

in, into, within

endo

within

epi

upon, over, or above

exo

outside

hemi

half, partial, or on one side

hyper

over, above, excessive, beyond normal

hypo

under, deficient, below normal

mono

one, single

peri

around, surrounding

syn (sym before b, p, and m)

together, with joined

-a, -ia

abstract noun forming; state, condition

-ac, -ic

adjective-forming suffix: pertaining to, located in

-iac

noun-forming suffix, person afflicted with

-iasis

abstract noun forming suffix, disease, abnormal condition, often parasitic organism infestation

-ic

adjective-forming suffix, pertaining to, located in. can be a noun or adjective. person who has something, or a drug relating to it

-in, -ine

noun forming suffix, form names of substances

-ist

noun forming substance, person interested in

-itic

adjective forming suffix, pertaining to inflammation. either adjective or noun (usually drug if noun

-itis

noun-forming suffix indicating an inflamed condition

-itides

plural form of itis

-ium

noun-forming suffix: membrane, connective tissue

-ma, -osis

noun-forming suffix. abnormal or diseased condition

-otic

adjective forming suffix from nouns ending in -osis

-sia

abstract noun forming suffix, state, condition, process, procedure

-tic

adjective forming suffix from nouns ending in -sis. Can be both an adjective or noun, often indicating drug

-y

abstract noun, state, condition, quality, process, procedure

acanth

thorn, spine

alg, odyn

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

cell

encephal

brain

erythr

red blood cell

lept

thin, fine, slight

lith

stone, calculus

log

word, study

malac

soft

mes

middle, secondary, partial, mesentary

meter/metr

measure, measuring device

sten

narrow

stere

solid, having three dimensions

dermat

third declension version of derma

gaster

third declension version of gastr

amphi/ampho-

on both sides, around

ana-

up, back, against

apo

away from

megal, mega, macr

abnormally large

cata (cat in third)

downward, disordered

dia (di before a vowel)

through, across, apart

eso

within, inner, inward

eu

good, normal, healthy

heter, hetero

different, other, relationship to another

homo/homeo

same, likeness

meta (met before a vowel or h)

change, transformation, after, behind

para (par) before a vowel

alongside, around, abnormal, beyond

pro

before

pros/prosth

in place of

-al

pertaining to, located in