PT 101: Medical Latin Part I Study Notes

Word Roots - Colors

  • cyan/o: Blue

  • eryth/o: Red

  • leuk/o: White

  • melan/o: Black

  • poli/o: Gray

Word Roots - Body Structures, Organs, and General Concepts

  • aden/o: Gland

  • adip/o: Fat

  • arter/o: Artery

  • arthr/o: Joint

  • cardi/o: Heart

  • cyt/o: Cell

  • hem/o: Blood

  • hist/o: Tissue

  • kines/o: Movement

  • labi/o: Lip

  • my/o: Muscle

  • nerv/o: Nerve

  • opt/o: Eye

  • oxy/o: Oxygen

  • path/o: Disease

  • ped/o: Small

  • pedi/a: Child

  • phleb/o: Vein

  • phot/o: Light

  • pneum/o: Lung

Prefixes

  • a-: Without

  • ab-: Away from

  • ad-: Toward

  • an-: Without

  • ante-: Before

  • anti-: Against

  • apo-: Away from

  • aud-: Ear

  • bi-: Double

  • calci-: Calcium

  • contra-: Against

  • di-: Two

  • dis-: Negative

  • dys-: Difficult

  • endo-: Inside

  • exo-: Outside

  • fore-: Before

  • hemi-: Half

  • hyper-: Increased

  • Hypo-: Decreased

  • im-: Not

  • macro-: Large

  • mega-: Large

  • micro-: Small

  • mio-: Smaller

  • para-: Near / beside / abnormal

  • pne/o-: Breath

  • poly-: Many

  • post-: Behind / after

  • pre-: In front of

  • re-: Again

  • retro-: Behind

  • supra-: Above

  • syn-: Union

  • tachy-: Rapid

  • tetra-: Four

  • trans-: Across

  • tri-: Three

  • un-: Not

  • uni-: One

Body Directions

  • anter/o: Situated in the front

  • caud/o: Toward the lower part of the body

  • cephal/o: Toward the head

  • dors/o: Back of the body or organ

  • infer/o: Below, beneath

  • later/o: Side

  • medi/o: Middle

  • poster/o: Back of the body or organ / Situated in the back

  • super/o: Above or uppermost

  • ventr/o: Front, or belly side, of the organ or body

Suffixes

  • -able: Able to

  • -ago: Pain

  • -al: Pertaining to

  • -algesia: Pain

  • -ar: Pertaining to

  • -ary: Pertaining to

  • -ase: Enzyme

  • -ation: State or action

  • -blast: Embryonic, immature

  • -cele: Hernia, tumor

  • -clast: Breakdown

  • -coccus: Spherical bacteria

  • -dema: Swelling

  • -emia: Blood

  • -esis: State or action

  • -iatrist: Specialist

  • -ic: Pertaining to

  • -ine: Pertaining to

  • -ion: State or action

  • -iasis: Abnormal condition, disease

  • -ism: State or action

  • -ist: Specialist

  • -itis: Inflammation

  • -kinesia: Movement

  • -kinesis: Movement

  • -logy: Study of

  • -lysis: Breakdown

  • -malacia: Abnormal softening

  • -ory: State or action

  • -osis: Abnormal condition, disease

  • -plasia: Formation

  • -tic: Pertaining to