Med Term Suffixes (Units 1-4)

a

no meaning

al

pertaining to

algia

pain

ar

pertaining to

ary

pertaining to

cele

hernia (something that sticks out where it shouldn’t)

centesis

puncture

desis

binding together

dynia

pain

e

no meaning

eal

pertaining to

ectomy

cutting out of

emia

present in blood, indicating disease

esis

process

etic

a drug or condition causing a process

eum

anatomical structure word ending

gram

a record of a test or procedure

graphy

a test or procedure

hypertrophy

too much growth

ia

disease

iac

pertaining to

ial

pertaining to

iasis

presence of an abnormality

ic

pertaining to

is

anatomical structure word ending

itis

inflammation

ium

anatomical structure word ending

lith

stone

logist

one who studies

logy

study of

lysis

breaking down; destroying

malacia

softening due to disease

megaly

enlargement due to disease

oid

looks like; resembles

oma

tumor

on

unit of anatomical structure

osis

process

pathy

state of disease

penia

low levels of

pexy

surgical fixation

plasty

surgical revision

poiesis

creation process

ptosis

drooping

rrhage

bursting forth

rrhaphy

suturing

rrhea

abnormal flow

rrhexis

rupture

scler

hardening

scope

instrument for looking inside

scopy

the process of looking inside

spasm

involuntary contraction

stomy

creating an opening with surgery

tomy

cutting

trophy

nourishment, growth

uria

present in urine, indicating disease

y

disease

able

capable of

ance

to give

ant

state of being

ed

word ending creating past tense

ent

state of being

gen

arising from

ical

pertaining to

ile

pertaining to

ing

verb ending that makes the continuous tense (ongoing process)

ion

word ending that turns a verb into a noun

ior

having a state

ity

turns a noun into a state of being

ive

to go

ized

turns a noun into a verb

olus

diminutive suffix

or

pertaining to

ory

pertaining to

ous

word ending that turns a noun into an adjective

tion

word ending that turns a verb into a noun

tive

to go

an

chemical name ending

ase

chemical name ending for an enzyme

ate

word ending that turns a noun into an adjective that means “showing”; also a chemical name ending

cule

diminutive suffix

ein

chemical name ending

elle

diminutive suffix

er

word ending that turns a verb into a noun

icle

diminutive suffix

icul

diminutive suffix

id

chemical name ending

ide

chemical name ending

ified

word ending that turns a noun into an adjective

il

chemical name ending

in

chemical name ending for a protein

ine

chemical name ending

is

process word ending

ism

belief; process word ending

let

diminutive suffix

lysis

breakdown process

oid

resembling

ol

chemical name ending for an alcohol

ole

diminutive suffix

one

chemical name ending

ose

chemical name ending for sugar