Medical Terminology and Vocabulary

A Comprehensive list of medical prefixes, roots, and suffixes including their specific meanings as defined in the Communication Skills lecture notes.

Prefix

A word element placed before a root, always combined with a word element, and never used alone.

Root

A word element containing the basic meaning of the word; it is combined with another root, with prefixes, and with suffixes.

Suffix

A word element placed after a root that changes the meaning of a word; suffixes are not used alone.

Combining Vowel

A vowel, usually an "o" or an "i", added between a root and a suffix or between two roots.

a-, an-

without, not, lack of

ab-

away from

ad-

to, toward, near

ante-

before, forward, in front of

anti-

against

auto-

self

bi-

double, two, twice

brady-

slow

Circum-

around

Contra-

against, opposite

de-

down, from

dia-

across, through, apart

dis-

apart, free from

dys-

bad, difficult, abnormal

ecto-

outer, outside

en-

in, into, within

endo-

inner, inside

epi-

over, on, upon

eryth-

red

eu-

normal, good, well, healthy

Ex-

out, out of, from, away from

hemi-

half

hyper-

excessive, too much, high

hypo-

under, decreased

in-

in, into, within, not

infra-

within

inter-

between

intro-

into, within

leuk-

white

macro-

large

mal-

bad, illness, disease

meg-

large

micro-

small

mono-

one, single

neo-

new

Para-

beside, beyond, after

Per-

by, through

Peri-

around

poly-

many, much

post-

after, behind

pre-

before, in front of, prior to

Pro-

before, in front of

re-

again, backward

retro-

backward, behind

semi-

half

Sub-

under, beneath

super-

above, over, excess

Supra-

above, over

tachy-

fast, rapid

trans-

across

uni-

one

Abdomin(o)

abdomen

Aden(o)

gland

Adren(o)

adrenal gland

Angi(o)

vessel

Arterio

artery

Arthr(o)

joint

Broncho

bronchus, bronchi

Card, cardi(o)

heart

Cephal(o)

head, head

Chole, chol(o)

bile

Chondr(o)

cartilage

Colo

colon, large intestine

Cost(o)

rib

Crani(o)

skull

Cyan(o)

blue

Cyst(o)

bladder, cyst

Cyt(o)

cell

Dent(o)

tooth

Derma

skin

Duoden(o)

duodenum

encephal(o)

brain

enter(o)

intestines

fibr(o)

fiber, fibrous

gastr(o)

stomach

gloss(o)

tongue

gluc(o)

sweetness, glucose

glyc(o)

sugar

gyn, gyne, gyneco

woman

hem, hema, hemo, hemat(o)

blood

hepat(o)

liver

hydr(o)

water

hyster(o)

uterus

ile(o), ili(o)

ileum

laparo

abdomen, loin, flank

Laryng(o)

larynx

Lith(o)

stone

Mamm(o)

breast, mammary gland

Mast(o)

breast, mammary gland

Meno

menstruation

My(o)

muscle

Myel(o)

spinal cord, bone marrow

Necro

death

Nephr(o)

kidney

Neur(o)

nerve

Ocul(o)

eye