Medical Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots

a, an

lack of, without

ante

before, in front of

bi

two, twice, double

Brady

slow

contra

against

dis

apart, free from

dys

bad, painful

endo

inner

epi

on, upon, over

erythro

redxe

ex

out, away from

hemi

half

hyper

too much, high

hypo

below, under

inter

between, within

leuk

white

mal

bad, illness, disorder

micro

small

olig

small, scant

patho

disease, suffering

per

by, through

peri

around

poly

many, much

post

after, behind

pre

before, in front of

sub

under, beneath

supra

above, over

tachy

swift, fast, rapid

abdomin

abdomen

aden(o)

gland

angi(o)

vessel

arterio

artery

arthr(o)

jointrab

brachi(o)

arm

bronchi, bronch(o)

bronchus

card, cardi(o)

heart

cephal(o)

head

cerebr(o)

cerebrum

chole, chol(o)

bile

colo

colon

cost(o)

rib

crani(o)

skull

cyan(o)

blue

cyst(o)

bladder, cyst

derm, derma

skin

duoden(o)

duodenumne

encephal(o)

brain

gaster(o), gastro

stomach

geron

aged

gluco

sweet

glyco, glyc

sweetg

gyneco, gyno

woman

hema, hemato, hemo

blood

hepato

liver

hyster(o)

uterus

ile(o), ili(o)

ileum

laryng(o)

larynx

lymph(o)

lymph

mamm(o)

breast

mast(o)

breast

melan(o)

black

mening(o)

meninges

necro

death

nephr(o)

kidney

neur(o)

nerve

onc(o)

tumor

opthalm(o)

eye

oste(o)

bone

ot(o)

ear

pharyng(o)

pharynx

phleb(o)

vein

pneo/pnea

breathingneup

pneum

air, gas, respiration

pod(o)

foot

proct(o)

anus, rectum

pulm(o)

lung

splen(o)

spleen

stomat(o)

mouth

therm(o)

hot, heat

thorac(o)

chest

thromb(o)

blood clot

toxic(o), tox(o)

poison

trache(o)

trachea, windpipe

urethr(o)

urethra

cyte

cell

ectomy

excision, removal of

emesis

vomiting

emia

blood condition

ism

a condition

itis

inflammation

logy

study of

megaly

enlargement

oma

tumor

osis

condition

ostomy

surgical creation of an opening

otomy

cut into

pathy

disease

penia

lack

phagia

to eat

phasia

speaking