Anatomical Terminology and Medical Word Roots

These flashcards cover key anatomical terminology, medical word roots, and suffixes/prefixes useful for understanding human anatomy and medical conditions.

Anter

Front

Caud

Tail (downward)

Cephal

Head (upward)

Dist

Away (from the point of attachment of a body part)

Dors

Back

Infer

Below

Later

Side

Medi

Middle

Poster

Back, behind

Proxim

Near (the point of attachment of a body part)

Super

Above

Ventr

Belly (front)

Ad

Toward

Ic

Pertaining to

Cervic

Cervix or Neck

Gynec

Woman

Hyster

Uterus

Mamm

Breast

Men

Menstruation

Oophor

Ovary

Salping

Uterine tube (fallopian tube)

Orchid

Testis, Testicle

Prostat

Prostate Gland

Scrot

Scrotum

Vas

Vessel, Duct

-cele

Hernia, Protrusion

-ptosis

Dropping, Sagging, Prolapse

-rrhexis

Rupture

Acr

Extremities

Cutane, Derm, Demat

Skin

Myc

Fungus

Onych

Nail

Cyan

Blue

Erythr

Red

Leuk

White

Melan

Black

Xanth

Yellow

-itis

Inflammation

-osis

Abnormal condition of

-ous

Pertaining to

-tomy

Cut into, incision

Epi

On, upon, over

Hypo

Below, deficient, under

Intra

Within

Per

Through

Sub

Below, under

Aden

Gland (node when combined with the WR lymph)

Angi

(Blood) vessel

Arteri

Artery

Cardi

Heart

Electr

Electrical activity

Lymph

Lymph

Phleb, Ven

Vein

Splen

Spleen

Thromb

(Blood) clot

-ac

Pertaining to

-graph

Instrument used to record

-megaly

Enlargement

-penia

Abnormal reduction in number

-sclerosis

Hardening

Brady

Slow

Tachy

Rapid, fast

Bronchi

Bronchus(s), bronchi (pl)

Capn

Carbon dioxide

Larynx

Larynx

Muc

Mucus

Nas, Rhin

Nose

Ox

Oxygen

Pharynx

Pharynx

Pneum, Pneumonia

Lung, air

Pulmon

Lung

Py

Pus

Sinus

Sinus (s), sinuses (pl)

Thoracic

Chest, chest cavity

Trachea

Trachea

-ary, -eal

Pertaining to

-centesis

Surgical puncture to remove fluid

-ectomy

Surgical removal, excision

-ia

Diseased state, condition of

-meter

An instrument used to measure

-pnea

Breathing

-rrhagia

Rapid flow of blood

-rrhea

Flow, discharge

-scope

An instrument used for visual examination

-scopic

Pertaining to visual examination

-scopy

Visual examination

-stomy

The creation of an artificial opening

-thorax

Chest, chest cavity