Lesson 4: Medical Terminology Compound Suffix Forms

-ectasia, -ectasis

dilation, enlargement

-ectomy

surgical excision; removal of all (total excision) or part (partial excision) of an organ

-gen

substance that produces (something)

-genesis

formation, origin

-genic, -genous

causing, producing, caused by, produced by or in

-gram

a record of the activity of an organ (often an x-ray)

-graph

an instrument for recording the activity of an organ

-graphy

1. the recording of the activity of an organ (usually by x-ray examination)

2. a descriptive treatise (on a subject)

-logy

study, science, the study or science of

-logist

one who specializes in a certain study or science

-lysis

dissolution, reduction, decomposition, disintegration

-lytic

pertaining to dissolution or decomposition, disintegration

-malacia

the softening (of tissues) of

-pathy

disease

-ptosis

dropping, sagging (of an organ or part)

-rrhagia

profuse discharge, hemorrhage

-rrhea

profuse discharge, excessive secretion

-rrhexis

bursting (of tissues), rupture

-sclerosis

the hardening (of tissues) of

-scope

an instrument for examining

-scopy

examination

-stenosis

the narrowing (of a part of the body)

-tome

a surgical instrument for cutting

-tomy

surgical incision

-toxic

poisonous (to an organ)

-toxin

a substance poisonous to (a part of the body)