Med Term CH2: SUFFIXES

Surgical suffixes

Suffixes that describe a type of invasive procedure performed on a body part

Diagnostic suffixes

Suffixes that describe a procedure performed to identify the cause and nature of an illness

Pathological suffixes

Suffixes that describe an abnormal condition or disease

Grammatical suffixes

Short suffixes attached to word roots to form parts of speech, such as adjectives and nouns

Diminutive suffixes

Suffixes that indicate something small or minute

Plural suffixes

Suffixes or endings used to change a word from its singular form to its plural form

-cen­tesis

surgical puncture

-clasis

to break; surgical fracture

-desis

binding, fixation (of a bone or joint)

-ectomy

excision, removal

-lysis

separation; destruction; loosening

-pexy

fixation (of an organ)

-plasty

surgical repair

-rrhaphy

suture

-stomy

forming an opening (mouth)

-tome

instrument to cut

-tomy

incision

-tripsy

crushing

-gram

record, writing

-graph

instrument for recording

-graphy

process of recording

-scope

instrument for examining

-scopy

visual examination

-algia

pain

-dynia

pain

-cele

hernia, swelling

-ectasis

dilation, expansion

-emesis

vomiting

-emia

blood condition

-gen

forming, producing, origin

-genesis

forming, producing, origin

-itis

inflammation

-malacia

softening

-megaly

enlargement

-oma

tumor

-osis

abnormal condition; increase (used primarily with blood cells)

-pathy

disease

-penia

decrease, deficiency

-phobia

fear

-plegia

paralysis

-ptosis

prolapse, downward displacement

-rrhea

discharge, flow

-rrhexis

rupture

-sclerosis

abnormal condition of hardening

-spasm

involuntary contraction, twitching

-stenosis

narrowing, stricture

-toxic

poison

-ac

pertaining to

-al

pertaining to

-ar

pertaining to

-ary

pertaining to

-eal

pertaining to

-ic

pertaining to

-ior

pertaining to

-ous

pertaining to

-tic

pertaining to

-ia

condition

-ism

condition

-iatry

medicine; treatment

-ist

specialist

-y

condition; process

-icle

small or minute

-ole

small or minute

-ule

small or minute

Singular-to-plural rule: -a

Retain a and add e (pleura → pleurae)

Singular-to-plural rule: -ax

Drop x and add ces (thorax → thoraces)

Singular-to-plural rule: -en

Drop en and add ina (lumen → lumina)

Singular-to-plural rule: -is

Drop is and add es (diagnosis → diagnoses)

Singular-to-plural rule: -ix

Drop ix and add ices (appendix → appendices)

Singular-to-plural rule: -ex

Drop ex and add ices (apex → apices)

Singular-to-plural rule: -ma

Retain ma and add ta (carcinoma → carcinomata)

Singular-to-plural rule: -on

Drop on and add a (ganglion → ganglia)

Singular-to-plural rule: -um

Drop um and add a (bacterium → bacteria)

Singular-to-plural rule: -us

Drop us and add i (bronchus → bronchi)

Singular-to-plural rule: -y

Drop y and add ies (deformity → deformities)

Singular-to-plural example: deformity

deformities

Pluralization

When a word changes from singular to plural, the suffix of the word is the part that changes