hosa med term 1

Prefixes 

Meaning 

Roots

Meaning

Suffixes 

Meaning

Onc

tumor

-genic

Producing or causing 

Carcin 

cancer

-logist

specialist (physician) who studies and treats

Cyt 

cell

-logy

the study of

Epitheli 

Epithelium 

-oid

resembling

hist

tissue

-oma

tumor

lip

fat

itis

inflammation

My 

muscle

ous

Pertaining to 

neur

nerves

oste

bone

Path 

disease

dx

diagnosis

plasm

Growth 

px

prognosis

sarc

flesh or connective tissue

CA

cancer

stasis

Stop or control 

METS

metastasis

viscer

internal organs

XRT

radiation therapy

meta

beyond

Anter 

forward

Neo 

New 

-caud

Tail(downward) 

inter

between/among 

-cephal

head(upward)

Ven 

Vein 

-dors

back

arthr

Joint 

-later

side

trache

trachea

-medi

middle

Poly 

Many 

-poster

Back or behind

Cyt 

cell

-ad

toward

Chemo 

Chemotherapy 

-ic or -ior

pertaining to

Dist 

away (from the point of attachment of a body part)

benign

not cancerous, but are deadly because they grow very big

proxim

near (the point of attachment of a body part)

chemotherapy

treatment of cancer by using pharmaceuticals; AB- chemo

super

above

myc

fungus

ventr

belly(front)

onych

Nail 

acr

extremities (arms and legs)

erythr

red

derm

skin

melan

black

pyo

pus 

xanth

yellow

-osis

abnormal condition

leuk

white

-tomy

incision into

epi-

on, upon or over

capn

carbon dioxide

hypo-

below, deficient, under

laryng

larynx

intra-

within

muc

mucus

per-

through

nas

nose

sub-

below or under

ox

Oxygen 

rhin

nose

pharyng

pharynx

thorac

chest or thorax

pneum / pneumon

lung or air

trache

trachea

pulmon

lung

a-, an-

without or absence

py

Pus 

dys-

difficult, painful, or abnormal

-ary

pertaining to

endo-

within

-centesis

surgical puncture to remove fluid

hyper-

above or excessive

-eal

pertaining to

cyst

bladder

-ectomy

sergical removal or excision

hem/ hemat

blood

-ia

diseased state or condition of

lith

stone or calculus

-meter

instrument used to measure

nephr

kidney

-pnea

breathing

noct

night

-rrhagia/rrhage

rapid flow of blood

olig

scanty or few

-rrhea

flow or discharge

pyel

renal pelvis

-scope

instrument used for visual examination

ren

kidney

-scopic

pertaining to visual examination

ur, urin

urination, urine or urinary tract

-scopy

visual examination

ureter

ureter/ urethra

-stomy

artificial opening

gastro

stomach

-thorax

chest thorax

myel

Spinal cord

-emia

blood condition

oset

bone

-gram

record, radiographic image

enter

Small intestine

-graphy

process of recording or radiographic image

crani

skull

-iasis

condition

tonsill

tonsils

-pexy

surgical fixation or suspension

poli

grey

-plasty

surgical repair

leuk

white

-rrhaphy

suture or repair

cardio

heart

-tripsy

surgical crushing

hepat

liver

algia

pain

arterio

artery

ostomy

The surgical creation of an artificial opening to the body surface

angio

Blood vessel

otomy

Cutting, surgical incision

dia

through

rrhexis

rupture

peri

surrounding

ology

Study of

dextro

Right side

dynia

pain

ad

toward

megaly

enlargement

sinistro

Left side 

malacia

Abnormal softening

eu

Good normal

necrosis

Tissue death

ot

ears

stenosis

Abnormal narrowing

appendic

appendix

natal/nat

birth

athero

Plaque or fatty substance

ab/ex

Away from

col

colon

oma

tumor

vir

Poison or virus

-plasia

Development, growth

pyro

Fever or fire

stasis/static

Control, maintaining

Adeno

gland

lateral

Towards side of body

adipo

fat

crine

secrete

anter

before

carcin

cancerous

caus

Lower part of body

dem

population

cephal

head

pan

entire

exo

outside

idi

weird

histo

tissue

osseo

bone

plas

Development, growth

desis

To bind together

poster

Behind, back

kyph

Bent hump

ventr

Front of body

lord

curve

dors

Back of body

lysis

loosening

superior

upper

latrist

specialist

inferior

lower

listehsis

slipping

caudal

Lower part of body

ago

Diseased condition

proximal

Near midline

penia

deficient

distal

Far from midline

clasis

break

medial

Direction towards midline

plegia

paralysis/stroke

homeo

constant

crasia

mixture

pelv

pelvis

emia

Blood condition

inguinal

groin

thrombo

clot

chondri

cartilage

globien

protein

epi

above

systole

contraction

lumb

Lower back

genesis

reproduction

retro

behind

cide

Causing death

periton

Refers to peritoneum which protects and holds organs in abdominal cavity

mast

breast

myel

Bone marrow

thorax

Chest cavity

synovi

Synovial membrane and fluid

Cutane 

skin

burs

bursa

spasm

involuntary contraction

ankyl

Crooked bent stiff

Cost 

rib

scolio

curved

spondyl

vertbrae

pod

foot

por

Small opening

kinesio

movement

tens

Stretch out

sterno

breastbone

cleido

collarbone

ceps

head

sarco

flesh

brady

slow

tachy

fast

coron

crown

chromat

color

plast

growth

phag

Cells that eat foreign material

cervix

neck

somno

sleep

naso

nose

oro

mouth

alveol

Air sac/aveolus

cerebr-

brains

adren-

Adrenal glands

blephar-

eye lids

colon

Large intestine

cost

rib

chole-

bile

para-

beside, beyond

hem

blood

hepat

liver

chondr/o

cartilage

proct

anus and rectum

nephr

kidney

mani

madness

oste

bone

sarc

Connective tissue

supra

above

esthesia

sensation