Medical Terminology: Bases, Prefixes, and Suffixes

Vocabulary flashcards for medical roots, bases, prefixes, and suffixes based on lecture notes.

ABDOMIN-

belly, abdomen (Greek/Latin: abdomen, abdominis) [Base]

ACANTH

spike, thorn, spine (Greek/Latin: akanthos) [Base]

ACR-

[highest point] extremities (particularly the hands and feet) (Greek/Latin: akron) [Base]

ALG-

pain (Greek/Latin: algos) [Base]

ALGES-

sensitivity to pain (Greek/Latin: algesis) [Base]

ALL-

other, another, different (Greek/Latin: allos) [Base]

ANGI-

(blood) vessel, duct (Greek/Latin: angeion) [Base]

ANTER-

front, in front (Greek/Latin: anterior) [Base]

ARTERI-

[air passage] artery (Greek/Latin: arteria) [Base]

ARTHR-

joint (Greek/Latin: arthron) [Base]

BI-

life (Greek/Latin: bios) [Base]

BRACHI-

(upper) arm (Greek/Latin: brachion) [Base]

BRADY-

slow (Greek/Latin: bradys) [Base]

CALC-

stone, calcium (Greek/Latin: calx, calcis) [Base]

CARDI-, CARD-

heart; cardia (Greek/Latin: kardia) [Base]

CEL-, CELI-

abdomen (Greek/Latin: koilia) [Base]

-CEL-

hernia, tumor, swelling (Greek/Latin: kele) [Base]

CEPHAL-

head (Greek/Latin: kephale) [Base]

COL-

colon (Greek/Latin: kolon) [Base]

COLI-

Escherichia coli (Greek/Latin: kolon) [Base]

COLON-

colon (Greek/Latin: kolon) [Base]

CORON-

crown (Greek/Latin: corona) [Base]

CRANI-, CRAN-

skull (Greek/Latin: kranion) [Base]

CYST-, CYSTI-, -CYSTIS

bladder, cyst (Greek/Latin: kystis) [Base]

CYT-

[hollow container] cell (Greek/Latin: kytos) [Base]

-EM-, HEM-, HEMAT-

blood (Greek/Latin: haima, haimatos) [Base]

ENCEPHAL-

brain (Greek/Latin: enkephalon) [Base]

ENTER-

(small) intestine (Greek/Latin: enteron) [Base]

ERYTHR-

red, red blood cell (Greek/Latin: erythros) [Base]

GASTR-, GASTER

stomach (Greek/Latin: gaster, gastros) [Base]

HEPAR-, HEPAT-

liver (Greek/Latin: hepar, hepatos) [Base]

LEUK-

white, white blood cell (Greek/Latin: leukos) [Base]

LIP-

fat (Greek/Latin: lipos) [Base]

LITH

stone, calculus (Greek/Latin: lithos) [Base]

LOG-

word, study (Greek/Latin: logos) [Base]

MALAC-

soft (Greek/Latin: malakos) [Base]

MEGA-, MEGAL-

(abnormally) large or long (Greek/Latin: megas, megalou) [Base]

MES

middle (Greek/Latin: mesos) [Base]

METR-, -METER

measure (Greek/Latin: metron) [Base]

MICR-

(abnormally) small (Greek/Latin: mikros) [Base]

NEPHR-

kidney (Greek/Latin: nephros) [Base]

NEUR-

[tendon] nerve, nervous system, neuron (Greek/Latin: neuron) [Base]

ODYN-

pain (Greek/Latin: odyne) [Base]

OSTE-, OST-

bone (Greek/Latin: osteon) [Base]

PROT

first (Greek/Latin: protos) [Base]

PSEUD-

false (Greek/Latin: pseudes) [Base]

SCLER-

hard (Greek/Latin: skleros) [Base]

SER-

watery fluid, serum (Greek/Latin: serum) [Base]

SOM-, -SOMA, SOMAT-

body (Greek/Latin: soma, somatos) [Base]

STEN-

narrow (Greek/Latin: stenos) [Base]

STERE-, STER-

solid, having 3 dimensions (Greek/Latin: stereos) [Base]

TOX-, TOXI-

poison (Greek/Latin: toxon) [Base]

LEPT-

thin, small, slender [Base]

a-, an-

not, without, lacking, deficient (an- before a vowel or h) [Prefix]

ambi-

both [Prefix]

amphi-, ampho-

on both sides, around, both [Prefix]

ana-, an-

up, back, against, throughout [Prefix]

anti-, ant-

against, opposed to, preventing, relieving (before a vowel or h) [Prefix]

apo-, ap-, aph-

away from [Prefix]

bi- (bin-, bis-)

two, twice, double, both [Prefix]

cata-, cat-, cath-

downward; disordered [Prefix]

di-

two [Prefix]

dia- (di- before a vowel)

through, across, apart [Prefix]

dis-

apart, away (di- before g, v, and usually before l; dif- before f) [Prefix]

dys-

difficult, painful, defective, abnormal [Prefix]

e-, ec-, ex-

out of, away from [Prefix]

ecto-, ect-

outside of [Prefix]

en- (em- before b, m, and p)

in, into, within [Prefix]

endo-, ento-, end-, ent-

within [Prefix]

epi- (ep- before a vowel or h)

upon, over, above [Prefix]

eso-

within, inner, inward [Prefix]

eu-

good, normal, healthy [Prefix]

exo-

outside, from the outside, toward the outside [Prefix]

hemi-

half, partial; (often) one side of the body [Prefix]

hyper-

over, above, excessive, beyond normal [Prefix]

hypo-, hyp-, hyph

under, deficient, below normal [Prefix]

inter-

between [Prefix]

meta-, met-, meth-

change, transformation, after, behind [Prefix]

para-, par-

alongside, beside, abnormal, beyond [Prefix]

peri-

around, surrounding (synonym: circum) [Prefix]

re-

back, again [Prefix]

syn-

together, with, joined (sym- before b, p, and m; sy- : n assimilates or is dropped before l and s) [Prefix]

trans-

across, through [Prefix]

-a, -ia, -sia, -sis, -y, -ema

state, condition [Suffix]

-ac

pertaining to, located in (rare) [Suffix]

-e

noun-forming suffix [Suffix]

-iac

person afflicted with, pertaining to, located in [Suffix]

-iasis

disease, abnormal condition, abnormal presence of [Suffix]

-ic

pertaining to, located in; many words come to be used as nouns: drug, agent [Suffix]

-ics, -tics

science / study of [Suffix]

-in, -ine, -ar, -ial

pertaining to, located in [Suffix]

-ist

person interested in [Suffix]

-ite

forms names of chemical substances [Suffix]

-itic

pertaining to; pertaining to inflammation; many words ending in -itic have come to be used as nouns: drug, agent [Suffix]

-itides

plural of -itis: forms plural nouns: inflammation [Suffix]

-itis

inflamed condition: inflammation [Suffix]

-ium, -eum

sometimes names a body region; membrane, connective tissue [Suffix]

-ma

(often) abnormal or diseased condition; sometimes forms names of substances [Suffix]

-oma, -omat

usually tumor; occasionally disease [Suffix]

-osis

abnormal or diseased condition [Suffix]