Medical Terminology: Roots, Prefixes, Suffixes, and Abbreviations

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering medical prefixes, suffixes, root words by body system, accepted clinical abbreviations, and The Joint Commission's official 'Do Not Use' abbreviation list.

A- / AN-

Without (e.g., afebrile: without fever; anuria: without urine).

ANTI-

Against (e.g., antiviral: medication used to work against viral infections).

ANTE- / PRE- / PRO-

Before (e.g., anteroom: room entered before the clients; prenatal: before birth; prodromal: phase of illness before clear symptoms).

POST-

After (e.g., postoperative: after surgery/operation).

MONO- / UNI-

One (e.g., monochromatic: having one color; unilateral: affecting one side).

BI-

Two (e.g., bipedal: walk on two feet).

TRI-

Three (e.g., trigeminal: nerve with three branches).

MULTI- / POLY-

Multiple or many (e.g., multiform: taking multiple forms/shapes; polyphagia: excessive eating).

SEMI- / HEMI-

Half (e.g., semicomatose: partial coma; hemiplegia: paralysis affecting one half of the body).

HYPO-

Below (e.g., hypothermia: below normal temperature).

HYPER-

Above (e.g., hyperthermia: above normal temperature/fever).

OLIGO-

Scant / not much (e.g., oliguria: producing scant/not much urine).

BRADY-

Slow (e.g., bradycardia: slow heart rate).

TACHY-

Fast (e.g., tachycardia: fast heart rate).

CYANO-

Blue (e.g., cyanosis: condition of appearing blue).

ERYTHRO-

Red (e.g., erythrocyte: red blood cell).

LEUKO-

White (e.g., leukocyte: white blood cell).

MELANO-

Black/dark (e.g., melanocyte: skin darkening cell).

DEXTRO-

Right (e.g., dextrocardia: heart on the right side).

LEVO-

Left (e.g., levorotation: twisting to the left).

INTER- / INTRA- / ENDO-

Within (e.g., intervene: to come within; intracerebral: within the brain; endoscope: to look within the body).

PERI-

Around/surrounding (e.g., pericardium: surrounding the heart).

AB-

Move away (e.g., abduct: move away from the body).

AD-

Move toward (e.g., adduct: move toward the body).

DYS-

Painful or abnormal (e.g., dyspnea: painful or abnormal breathing).

EU-

Normal (e.g., eupnea: normal breathing).

PAN-

All/total (e.g., pancytopenia: all cells have abnormal counts).

-EMIA

Blood (e.g., anemia: without normal blood count).

-ITIS

Inflammation (e.g., gastritis: inflammation of the stomach).

-MALACIA

Softening (e.g., osteomalacia: softening of bone).

-TROPHY

Growth (e.g., atrophy: without normal growth/wasting).

-OSIS / -PATHY / -ISM

Disease/condition (e.g., cyanosis: condition of being blue; neuropathy: disease of the nerves; gigantism: condition in which one is excessively large).

-MEGALY

Enlargement (e.g., cardiomegaly: enlargement of the heart).

-SCLEROSIS

Hardening (e.g., atherosclerosis: hardening of artery walls).

-OMA

Tumor (e.g., melanoma: tumor of melanocytes).

-CELE

Hernia/protrusion (e.g., hydrocele: protrusion of collection of fluid).

-ALGIA / -DYNIA

Pain (e.g., arthralgia: joint pain; osteodynia: bone pain).

-LYSIS

Destruction (e.g., hemolysis: destruction of blood cells).

-RRHAGIA / -RRHEA

Excess flow/discharge (e.g., hemorrhage: excessive blood loss; rhinorrhea: excessive discharge from the nose).

-PENIA

Deficiency (e.g., osteopenia: deficiency in bone mass).

-SPASM

Involuntary contraction / involuntary movement (e.g., vasospasm: contraction of vessels).

-PLEGIA

Paralysis (e.g., hemiplegia: paralysis of half of the body).

-PHASIA

Speech (e.g., dysphasia: bad/abnormal speech).

-TOMY

Incision/entering into (e.g., phlebotomy: enter into the vein).

-ECTOMY

Surgical removal (e.g., splenectomy: removal of the spleen).

-STOMY

Creating an artificial opening (e.g., colostomy: opening the colon to the exterior of the body).

-SCOPY

Visual inspection/examination (e.g., endoscopy: visual examination within the body).

-CENTESIS

Puncture (e.g., pericardiocentesis: puncture into the sac surrounding the heart).

-PLASTY

Repair (e.g., rhinoplasty: repair of the nose).

ENCEPHAL/O vs CEREBR/O

Both root words refer to the brain (e.g., encephalomalacia: softening of brain tissue; cerebral: pertaining to the brain).

TYMPAN/O / MYRING/O

Ear drum (e.g., tympanic: pertaining to the ear drum; myringotomy: surgical cutting into the ear drum).

PNEUM/O vs PULM/O

Lungs (e.g., pneumonitis: inflammation of the lungs; pulmonic: pertaining to the lungs).

PNE/A

Breathing (e.g., apnea: without breathing).

THORAC/O

Thorax / chest cavity (shoulders to diaphragm) (e.g., thoracic: pertaining to the chest).

CHOLECYST/O

Gall bladder (e.g., cholecystectomy: surgical removal of the gall bladder).

ENTER/O

Intestines (e.g., enteritis: inflammation of the intestines).

LAPAR/O

Abdominal wall (e.g., laparoscopy: visual examination through the abdominal wall).

NEPHR/O / REN/A

Kidney (e.g., nephritis: inflammation of the kidney; renal: pertaining to the kidney).

MYEL/O

Bone marrow or spinal cord (e.g., myelopathy: disease of the spinal cord).

HYSTER/O / METR/O

Uterus (e.g., hysterectomy: surgical removal of the uterus; endometriosis: abnormal condition within the uterus).

OOPHOR/O

Ovary (e.g., oophorectomy: surgical removal of the ovary).

SALPING/O

Tube / fallopian tube (from ovary to uterus) (e.g., salpingitis: inflammation of the fallopian tube).

ORCHI/O / TEST/O

Testicle (e.g., orchitis: inflammation of the testicle; testicular: pertaining to the testes).

THROMB/O

Clot (e.g., thrombosis: abnormal condition of a clot).

PHAG/O

Eating (e.g., phagocytosis: condition of cell eating).

FEBR/I / PYR/O

Fever (e.g., febrile: having a fever; antipyretic: pertaining to working against fever).

STEN/O

Narrowing (e.g., stenosis: condition of narrowing).

ac / hs

ac = before meals; hs = bedtime.

ad lib

Freely as desired.

bid / tid / qid

Two times a day / three times a day / four times a day.

BRP

Bathroom privileges (privelidges).

ć

With.

NPO

Nothing per os; nothing by mouth.

PERRLA

Pupils equal round and reactive to light.

prn / stat

prn = as needed; stat = immediately.

ASA / APAP

ASA = aspirin; APAP = acetaminophen.

Do Not Use: U, u

Write out "unit".

Do Not Use: IU

Write out "international unit".

Do Not Use: Q.D., QD, q.d., qd

Write out "daily".

Do Not Use: Q.O.D., QOD, q.o.d., qod

Write out "every other day".

Do Not Use: Trailing Zero (X.0) & Lack of Lead Zero (.X)

Decimal point is missed; write trailing zero as X (e.g., 1 instead of 1.0) and lack of lead zero as 0.X (e.g., 0.1 instead of .1).

Do Not Use: MS, MSO4, MgSO4

Mistaken for one another; write out "morphine sulfate" or "magnesium sulfate".