Medical Terminology Suffixes

A comprehensive vocabulary list of medical suffixes and their definitions compiled from pages 1-3 of the lecture notes.

-agra

excessive pain

-al

pertaining to

-algesia

pain

-algia

pain

-an

pertaining to

-ary

pertaining to

-arian

pertaining to a person

-asthenia

weakness

-atresia

absence of a normal body;opening;occlusion;closure

-cele

hernia; prolapse; protrusion

-centesis

Surgical puncture

-cidal

killing

-clasia

surgically break

-clast

cell that breaks down substances

-cle

small thing

-clysis

irrigating; washing

-crine

thing that secretes

-crit

separation of

-cyte

cell

-cytosis

abnromal increase in cells

-derma

skin

-desis

surgical fixation (bone and joint)

-drome

running

-dynia

pain

-eal

pertaining to

-ectasia

stretching out; dialation; expansion

-ectasis

stretching out; dialation; expansion

-ectomy

surgical removal

-ectopic

displacement

-ectopia

displacement

-edema

Swelling

-emesis

vomiting

-emia

condition of the blood; substance in the blood

-gen

something that produces; formation

-genesis

orgin; cause

-genic

producing; originating; causing

-graft

tissue for implant; tissue for transplant

-gram

picture; record

-graph

instrument used to record

-graphy

process of recording

-gravida

pregnancy

-ia

condition of

-iac

pertaining to

-ial

pertaining to

-ian

pertaining to

-iasis

abnormal condition caused by something specific

-iatric

Medical specialty

-iatrist

Physician

-iatry

medical treatment; medicine

-ic

pertaining to

-ical

pertaining to

-ician

specialist

-ictal

seizure; attack

-ile

pertaining to

-ine

pertaining to; thing pertaining to

-ism

condition of

-ist

person who specializes in; thing that specializes in

-itian

skilled expert; skilled professional

-itis

inflammation

-ive

pertaining to

-lith

stone, calculus

-ly

pertaining to

-lysis

destruction; dissolution

-lytic

(substance that) destroys or reduces

-malacia

abnormal softening

-megaly

abnormal enlargement

-meter

Instrument used to measure

-metry

process of measuring

-morph

form; shape

-nate

thing that is born

-oid

resembling

-ole

small thing

-oma (definition 1)

mass; tumor

-ologist

one who studies

-ology

study of

-oma (definition 2)

tumor; swelling

-opsy

to view

-osis

abnormal condition; increase in cell type (cyt-)

-ostomy

surgically created opening

-otomy

process of making and incision

-ous

pertaining to

-paresis

Weakness

-pathy

disease

-penia

condition of deficiency ; too few

-pepsia

digestion

-pexy

surgical fixation (soft tissue)

-phagia

eating; swallowing

-phil

attraction to

-philia

love, attraction

-phobia

fear of

-phonia

sound or voice

-phoria

feeling

-physis

growth

-plasia

formation; development; a growth

-plasm

formed substance; growth

-plasty

surgical repair

-plegia

paralysis; loss of function

-pnea

breathing

-poiesis

process of formation (cells)

-porosis

passage; porous