Dermatology Vocabulary

Medical Terminology: Integumentary System and General Terms

Prefixes and Root Words

  • aden/o: gland
  • adip/o: fat
  • cutane/o: skin
  • derm/o, dermat/o: skin
  • hidr/o: sweat
  • kerat/o: keratin, hard, or hornlike
  • lip/o: fat
  • melan/o: melanin or black
  • onych/o: nail
  • py/o: pus
  • seb/o: sebum or oil
  • trich/o: hair
  • ungu/o: nail
  • bi/o: life
  • carcin/o: cancer
  • chem/o: chemical
  • cry/o: cold
  • erythr/o: red
  • ichthy/o: scaly
  • leuk/o: white
  • myc/o: fungus
  • necr/o: death
  • pedicul/o: lice
  • scler/o: hardening
  • vesic/o: bladder or sac
  • xanth/o: yellow
  • xer/o: dry

Suffixes

  • -al: pertaining to
  • -cle: small
  • -cyte: cell
  • -derma: skin condition
  • -ectomy: surgical removal
  • -genic: producing
  • -ia: condition
  • -iasis: abnormal condition
  • -ic: pertaining to
  • -itis: inflammation
  • -logist: one who studies
  • -logy: study of
  • -malacia: abnormal softening
  • -megaly: enlarged
  • -oid: resembling
  • -oma: tumor or mass
  • -opsy: view of
  • -ose: pertaining to
  • -osis: abnormal condition
  • -ous: pertaining to
  • -pathy: disease
  • -phagia: eating or swallowing
  • -plasty: surgical repair
  • -rrhea: discharge
  • -sclerosis: hardening
  • -tic: pertaining to
  • -tome: instrument to cut

Prefixes (Position/Quantity)

  • an-: without
  • epi-: above
  • hyper-: excessive
  • hypo-: below or insufficient
  • intra-: within
  • pachy-: thick
  • per-: through
  • sub-: under
  • trans-: across

Integumentary System & Glandular Terms

  • adenectomy: surgical removal of a gland
  • adenitis: inflammation of a gland
  • adenoma: tumor or mass of a gland
  • adenopathy: disease of a gland
  • adenomegaly: enlarged gland
  • adipose: pertaining to fat
  • adipic: pertaining to fat
  • adipocyte: fat cell
  • adipoma: tumor or mass of fat
  • cutaneous: pertaining to the skin
  • subcutaneous: under the skin
  • percutaneous: through the skin
  • ichthyoderma: scaly skin condition
  • scleroderma: hardening skin condition
  • xanthoderma: yellow skin condition
  • xeroderma: dry skin condition
  • pachyderma: thick skin condition
  • erythroderma: red skin condition
  • pyoderma: pus skin condition
  • leukoderma: white skin condition
  • dermal: pertaining to the skin
  • dermic: pertaining to the skin
  • epidermal: pertaining to above the skin
  • intradermal: pertaining to within the skin
  • hypodermic: pertaining to below the skin
  • transdermal: pertaining to across the skin
  • dermatitis: inflammation of the skin
  • dermatology: study of the skin
  • dermatologist: one who studies the skin
  • dermatosis: abnormal skin condition
  • dermatoplasty: surgical repair of the skin
  • dermatomycosis: fungus skin condition
  • dermatopathy: disease of the skin
  • dermatosclerosis: hardening of the skin
  • hidrosis: condition of sweat
  • anhidrosis: without sweat condition
  • hidradenitis: inflammation of a sweat gland
  • hyperhidrosis: excessive sweat condition
  • keratoderma: hard or hornlike skin condition
  • keratosis: abnormal condition of keratin
  • keratogenic: producing keratin
  • lipectomy: surgical removal of fat
  • lipoid: resembling fat
  • lipoma: tumor or mass of fat
  • lipocyte: fat cell
  • melanoma: tumor or mass of melanin or black
  • melanocyte: melanin or black cell
  • melanotic: pertaining to melanin
  • onychectomy: surgical removal of a nail
  • onychitis: inflammation of a nail
  • onychomalacia: abnormal softening of a nail
  • onychomycosis: fungus condition of the nail
  • onychophagia: nail eating or swallowing
  • hyperonychia: excessive nail condition
  • pyogenic: producing pus
  • pyorrhea: discharge of pus
  • seborrhea: discharge of sebum
  • trichomycosis: fungus condition of the hair
  • trichophagia: hair eating or swallowing
  • ungual: pertaining to the nail
  • subungual: pertaining to under the nail