Lecture Notes: Combining Forms, Word Roots, and Suffixes

Vocabulary flashcards covering combining forms, word roots, and suffixes from the notes.

Combining form

A word part formed by the word root plus a combining vowel; it is not one of the four word parts.

Combining vowel

A usually short vowel (often 'o') used to join word parts between roots or between a root and suffix.

Word root

Foundational meaning of the word; there are one or more word roots in a medical term.

Cardi/o

A combining form meaning heart.

Bi/o

A combining form meaning life.

Carcin/o

A combining form meaning cancer.

Enter/o

A combining form meaning small intestine.

Gastr/o

A combining form meaning stomach.

Hemat/o

A combining form meaning blood.

Neur/o

A combining form meaning nerve.

Path/o

A combining form meaning disease.

Pulmon/o

A combining form meaning lung.

Cardiopulmonary

A term formed from cardi/o + pulmon/o with the suffix -ary; relates to the heart and lungs.

Tracheolaryngobronchitis

A term formed from trache/o + laryng/o + bronch + itis; inflammation of the trachea, larynx, and bronchi.

Gastroenteritis

Gastr/o + enter + itis; inflammation of the stomach and intestines.

Suffix

A word part that modifies or adds information to a word root.

-itis

Inflammation (e.g., cardiitis, tendonitis, hepatitis).

-logy

Suffix meaning 'study of'; forms terms like cardiology and pulmonology.

Suffix rule (vowel-starting)

If the suffix starts with a vowel, do not use the combining vowel between the root and suffix.

Suffix rule (consonant-starting)

If the suffix starts with a consonant, use the combining vowel between the root(s) and the suffix.

-algia

Pain.

-cyte

Cell.

-genesis

Produces; formation or origin.

-oma

Tumor; mass.

-opsy

View of; examination.

-osis

Abnormal condition.

-sclerosis

Hardening.

-ectomy

Surgical removal.

-otomy

Cutting into.

-pexy

Surgical fixation.

-plasty

Surgical repair.

-tome

Instrument to cut.