Medical Terminology Chapter 1

root word

foundation of the word

prefix

beginning of the word

suffix

end of the word

combining vowel

links the word root to another word root or a suffix

bi/o

life

carcin/o

cancer

cardi/o

heart

chem/o

chemical

cis/o

to cut

dermat/o

skin

enter/o

small intestine

gastr/o

stomach

gynec

female

hermat/o

blood

immun/o

protection

laryng/o

larynx

nephr/o

kidney

neur/o

nerve

ophthalm/o

eye

ot/o

ear

path/o

disease

pulmon/o

lung

rhin/o

nose

a-

without

an-

without

anti-

against

auto-

self

brady-

slow

de-

without

dys-

painful;difficult;abnormal

endo-

within; inner

epi-

above

eu-

normal

ex-

outward

extra-

outside of

hetero-

different

homo-

same

hyper-

excessive

hypo-

below; insufficient

in-

not; inward

inter-

between

intra-

within

macro-

large

micro-

small

neo-

new

para-

beside; abnormal; two like parts of a pair

per-

through

peri-

around

post-

after

pre-

before

pro-

before

pseudo-

false

re-

again

retro-

backward; behind

sub-

under

tachy-

fast

trans-

across

ultra-

beyond

un-

not

bi-

two

hemi-

half

mono-

one

multi-

many

nulli-

none

pan-

all

poly-

many

quadri-

four

semi-

partial

tetra-

four

tri-

three

-algia

pain

-cele

protrusion

-cyte

cell

-dynia

pain

-ectasis

dilation

-gen

that which produces

-genic

producing

-ia

condition

-iasis

abnormal condition

-ism

state of

-itis

inflammation

-logist

one who studies

-logy

study of

-lytic

destruction

-malacia

abnormal softening

-megaly

enlarged

-oma

tumor, mass

-opsy

view of

-osis

abnormal condition

-pathy

disease

-plasm

formation

-plegia

paralysis

-ptosis

drooping

-rrhage

abnormal flow

-rrhagia

abnormal flow condition

-rrhea

discharge

-rrhexis

rupture

-sclerosis

hardening

-stenosis

narrowing

-therapy

treatment