Medical Prefixes, Suffixes, and Root Words for Anatomy and Physiology

ambul/o

to walk or move about

articul/o

joint

brachi/o

arm

card/o, cardi/o

heart

dextr/o

to the right

duct/o

to lead; to carry

electr/o

electricity

fasci/o

fibrous band; fascia

fibr/o

fiber

flex/o

to bend

kines/o, kinesi/o

movement

lei/o

smooth

muscul/o

muscle

my/o, myos/o

muscle

myocardi/o

heart muscle

neur/o

nerve

orth/o

straight; normal

ped/o

child; foot

plant/o

sole of the foot

radi/o

X-rays

rhabd/o

rod-shaped

sarc/o

flesh; connective tissue

son/o

sound

tax/o, taxi/o

coordination; order

ten/o, tendin/o, tendon/o

tendon

tens/o

stretched; strained

therm/o

hot; heat

ton/o

tone; tension

vers/o

turn; turning

ab-

away; away from

ad-

toward

ambi-

both sides

ante-

before

bi-

two; both

brady-

slow

circum-

around

dorsi-

back

dys-

painful; difficult

e-, ex-

out; away from

hemi-

half

hyper-

above; above normal; excessive

hypo-

below; below normal; deficient

in-

in; into; not

par-, para-

near; beside; alongside; beyond; abnormal

quadri-

four

semi-

half

tachy-

fast

tri-

three

-algia

pain

-asthenia

weakness

-cele

hernia; swelling; protrusion

-ceps

heads (attachments)

-dynia

pain

-ectomy

surgical removal; excision

-esthesia

sensation

-gram

record; image

-graphy

process of recording

-ia

condition

-ion

process; state; condition

-itis

inflammation

-logy

study of

-lysis

breakdown; separation; loosening

-malacia

softening

-oma

tumor; mass

-paresis

weakness

-penia

deficiency

-plasty

surgical repair

-plegia

paralysis

-plegic

pertaining to paralysis

-rrhexis

rupture

-scope

instrument used to view

-scopy

visual examination using a scope

-tomy

process of cutting; incision

-tonia

tone; tension

-trophy

condition of growth or development