Medical Terminology: Prefixes, Roots, Suffixes & Clinical Terms

Medical terminology

Allows healthcare professionals to communicate accurately, document safely, and understand patient conditions.

Prefix

Comes before the root.

Root

Main meaning of the medical term.

Suffix

Comes after the root.

Bradycardia

Slow heart rate.

Tachycardia

Fast heart rate.

Cardiomegaly

Enlarged heart.

Endocarditis

Inflammation of inner heart lining.

Phlebitis

Inflammation of a vein.

Dyspnea

Difficulty breathing.

Tachypnea

Rapid breathing.

Apnea

Absence of breathing.

Oliguria

Low urine output.

Anuria

No urine output.

Polyuria

Excessive urine output.

Cystitis

Bladder inflammation.

Arthritis

Joint inflammation.

Myalgia

Muscle pain.

Arthralgia

Joint pain.

Osteoporosis

Porous bones.

BP

Blood Pressure.

HR

Heart Rate.

RR

Respiratory Rate.

IV

Intravenous.

NPO

Nothing by Mouth.

PRN

As Needed.

A-

Without

brady-

slow

tachy-

fast

dys-

abnormal, painful, difficult

hyper-

above normal

hypo-

below normal

peri-

around

intra-

within

Inter-

between

sub-

below

Cardi/o

heart

Pneum/o

lung

Pulmon/o

lung

Gastr/o

stomach

Hapat/o

liver

Enter/o

intestine

nephr/o

kidney

cyst/o

bladder

derm/o

skin

oste/o

bone

arthr/o

joint

My/o

muscle

Neur/o

nerve

Cephal/o

head

Encephal/o

brain

hem/o

blood

-itis

inflammation

-osis

abnormal condition

-ectomy

surgical removal

-otomy

incision

-ostomy

surgically create an opening

-megaly

enlargement

-pathy

disease

-algia

pain

-emia

blood condition

-uria

urine condition

-scopy

visual examination

micro

small

macro

Large

-graphy; -graph

recording an image

-gram

the image (X-ray)

-ology/-ologist

study, specialize in

Dento-

Teeth

glosso/linguo

tongue

stomato

mouth

gingivo

gums

procto

anus and rectum

orchido

testis

Hysterical/metro

uterus

salping/o

uterine tube (fallopian tube)

masto/mammo

breast

rhino

nose

phlebo/veno

veins

oophor/o

ovaries

If u have bleeding gums. What would that condition called

Gingivitis

A patient has had a diagnosis of colon cancer and will need surgical removal of the colon. She will end up with a permanent hole in her abdomen for drainage into a bag. The permanent opening is called a

colostomy

You have been having chronic pains in your upper abdomen, and your family physician refers you to a specialist in diseases of the digestive tract called a

gastroenterologist

You have just been diagnosed as having an enlarged liver. The doctor describes it as

hepatomegaly

You have taken your friend to the emergency room with severe lower back pain and blood in his urine. After examination and lab tests, the physician reports that your friend has an inflammation of his kidneys and makes a diagnosis of

nephritis

Your friend who is a long distance runner is told by his physician that he has an enlarged heart, but that this can be a normal finding in well conditioned athletes. The doctor writes on his chart that your friend has

cardiomegaly

Your mother is having her uterus surgically removed along with her ovaries. Removal of ovaries is called

oophorectomy

A patient has become sterile due to chronic inflammation of her uterine tubes from frequent infection with sexually transmitted diseases. This tubal inflammation is called

salpingitis

A patient with epilepsy has had a procedure performed that records brain electrical activity. This procedure is called

electroencephalography

A female patient has a special X-ray procedure of the breasts performed. The X-ray image is called a

mammogram

leuk/o

white

melan/o

melanin, black

Cyan/o

blue

xanth/o

yellow

aden/o

Gland

Lip/o

fat, lipid

My/o

muscle

Lymph/o

lymph, lymphatic tissue

carcin/o

malignant

Osteo

bone