Anatomy: Prefixes

Greek and Latin Roots

A-

Without/lack of

What would Avascular mean (pertaining to blood cells)?

Without blood vessels

Aero-

Air/gas/oxygen

What would Anaerobic mean (pertaining to without something)

Without oxygen

Adeno-

Gland

Adenitis meaning (pertaining to swelling)

Inflammation/Swelling of a gland

-Al

Pertaining/relating to

Nasal meaning (about noses)

Pertaining to noses

Albi-

White

Albanism meaning (lack of something to produce something)

Lack of melanin (white)

An-

Without/lack of/not

Anesthesia meaning (pertaining to feeling)

Without feeling

Andro-

Man/male

Andrology meaning (study of something)

Study of male health and science

Angi-

Vessel (blood or lymph)

Angiogram meaning (imaging of what)

Imaging blood vessels

Ante-

Before/in front of

Anterior (pertaining to the body)

Outside/front of the body

Anti-

Against/opposite

Antioxidant (pertaining to oxidation damage and cells)

Protects cells against oxidation damage

-Ary

Pertaining/relating to

Pulmonary meaning (lungs)

Pertaining to the lungs

-Ase

Meaning/Indicating an enzyme

Sucrase meaning (breaks down sugar)

An enzyme that breaks down sugar

Athero-

Fatty plaque

Atheroma meaning (deposit of something in the inner lining of the arterial wall)

Fatty deposit or swelling in the wall

Auto-

Self/same

Autoimmune meaning (an immune response directed against something)

Directed against a person’s own healthy tissues or cells

Bi-

Twice/2/double

Biceps meaning (pertaining to muscle and heads)

A muscle with 2 heads

Blasto-

Bud, germ, or early embryonic stage

Blastocyst meaning (pertaining to ball of cells)

Early embryonic ball of cells

Brachi-

Arm/Upper arm

Brachial artery meaning (main blood vessel supplying something)

Main blood vessel supplying blood to the arm

Brady-

Slow

Bradycarida meaning (something to do with heart rate)

Slow heart rate

Carcino-

Cancer/Malignancy

Carcinoma meaning (pertaining to a tumor)

A malignant tumor

Cardi-

Heart

Cardiomyopathy meaning (pertaining to disease of a muscle)

Disease of the heart muscle

Cauda-

Tail

Caudate Lobe meaning (a lobe of the liver)

A tail-like lobe of the liver (posterior section)

Cephalo-

Head

Cephalic meaning (pertaining to something)

Pertaining/relating to the head

Cervi-

Neck or Cervix

Cervical region meaning (part of something)

Top part of your spine (neck)

Chondro-

Cartilage

Chondritis meaning (inflammation of something)

Inflammation of cartilage

Clast-

Break/destroy

Calstocyte meaning (a cell that does something to tissue compounds)

Destroys or breaks down tissue compounds

Co-

With/together/jointly

Covalent meaning (chemical bond formed by electrons doing something)

By sharing valance electrons together between atoms

Contra-

Opposite/against/opposing

Contraception meaning (methods and something to do with conception/pregnancy)

Methods used against conception

Corpo-

Body

Corporal meaning (pertaining to something)

Pertaining/relating to the physical human body

Costa-

Rib

Intercostal meaning (located between something)

Located between the ribs

Cutane- and Cuti-

Skin

Cuticle meaning (dead something at the base of a nail)

Dead skin at the base of a toe/finger nail

Cyto-

Cell

Cytoplasm meaning (the and jelly like material inside something)

The fluid in a cell

Derma- and Dermato-

Skin

Dermatitis meaning (inflammation of something)

Inflammation of the skin

Dorsi-

Back/posterior

Dorsal meaning (directional adjective towards something)

Towards the back

Dys-

Difficult/painful/abnormal

Dyspnea meaning (something to do with breathing)

Difficulty or labored breathing

Ec- and Ecto-

Outer/external

Ectoderm meaning (a layer of cells in an embryo located somewhere)

Outer layer of cells

Encephalo-

Within the head

Encephalitis meaning (inflammation of something)

Inflammation of the brain

Endo-

Inside/inner/within

Endoskeleton meaning (a structural skeleton somewhere)

An internal structural skeleton

Epi-

Above/over/outermost/upon

Epidermis meaning (a layer of skin)

The outermost layer of skin

Eryth- and Erythro-

Red

Erythrocyte meaning (a type of blood cell)

A red blood cell

Eu-

Normal/good/well or true

Eupnea meaning (breathing)

Normal or unlabored breathing