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Hosa prefixes, suffixes, root words

Let’s tackle this efficiently, Sona! Here’s a strategy to learn all the medical terminology tonight:

1. Start with Prefixes

We’ll divide them by categories for easier memorization:

General Prefixes

  • A-, An-: Without (e.g., Anemia)

  • Anti-: Against (e.g., Antibiotic)

  • Hyper-: Excessive (e.g., Hypertension)

  • Hypo-: Deficient (e.g., Hypoglycemia)

Directional Prefixes

  • Ab-: Away (e.g., Abduction)

  • Ad-: Toward (e.g., Adduction)

  • Infra-: Below (e.g., Infraspinatus)

  • Sub-: Under (e.g., Subcutaneous)

Color Prefixes

  • Chlor/o-: Green (e.g., Chlorophyll)

  • Erythr/o-: Red (e.g., Erythrocyte)

  • Leuk/o-: White (e.g., Leukocyte)

  • Melan/o-: Black (e.g., Melanin)

Positional/Directional Prefixes

  1. Hyper-: Excessive (Hyperglycemia)

  2. Hypo-: Deficient, below normal (Hypotension)

  3. Inter-: Between (Intercostal)

  4. Intra-: Within (Intravenous)

  5. Sub-: Under, below (Subcutaneous)

  6. Trans-: Across (Transdermal)

General Prefixes

  1. Brady-: Slow (Bradycardia)

  2. Tachy-: Fast (Tachycardia)

  3. Dys-: Bad, difficult (Dysphagia, Dysfunction)

  4. Anti-: Against (Antibiotic, Antiviral)

  5. Poly-: Many (Polyuria, Polydipsia)

2. Move on to Suffixes

Conditions

  • -itis: Inflammation (Arthritis)

  • -osis: Abnormal condition (Sclerosis)

  • -emia: Blood condition (Anemia)

  • -pathy: Disease (Neuropathy)

Procedures

  • -ectomy: Removal (Appendectomy)

  • -ostomy: Create an opening (Colostomy)

  • -otomy: Incision (Laparotomy)

  • -scopy: Visual examination (Endoscopy)

Root Words

Body Systems

  1. Cardi/o: Heart (Cardiology)

  2. Pulmon/o: Lung (Pulmonary)

  3. Hepat/o: Liver (Hepatitis)

  4. Ren/o, Nephr/o: Kidney (Renal, Nephrology)

  5. Dermat/o, Cutane/o: Skin (Dermatitis, Subcutaneous)

  6. My/o: Muscle (Myopathy)

  7. Oste/o: Bone (Osteoporosis)

  8. Gastr/o: Stomach (Gastroscopy)

  9. Encephal/o: Brain (Encephalitis)

General Terms

  1. Cyt/o: Cell (Cytology)

  2. Hem/o, Hemat/o: Blood (Hemoglobin, Hematoma)

  3. Path/o: Disease (Pathology)

  4. Onc/o: Tumor (Oncology)

  5. Phleb/o, Ven/o: Vein (Phlebitis, Venous)

  6. Psych/o: Mind (Psychiatry)

  7. Arthr/o: Joint (Arthritis)

Medical Procedures

  1. Angioplasty: Surgical repair of blood vessels.

  2. Laminectomy: Removal of part of a vertebra.

  3. Mastectomy: Removal of a breast.

  4. Colonoscopy: Examination of the colon.

  5. Biopsy: Removal of tissue for examination.

Pathology Terms

  1. Carcinoma: Cancer of epithelial tissue.

  2. Sarcoma: Cancer of connective tissue.

  3. Ischemia: Lack of blood flow.

  4. Necrosis: Tissue death.

  5. Edema: Swelling caused by fluid accumulation.

Suffixes

Diagnostic and Procedural Suffixes

  1. -algia, -dynia: Pain (Neuralgia, Gastrodynia)

  2. -itis: Inflammation (Arthritis, Tonsillitis)

  3. -megaly: Enlargement (Cardiomegaly)

  4. -oma: Tumor or mass (Carcinoma, Lipoma)

  5. -osis: Abnormal condition (Cyanosis, Osteoporosis)

  6. -ectomy: Surgical removal (Appendectomy)

  7. -plasty: Surgical repair (Rhinoplasty, Angioplasty)

  8. -scopy: Visual examination (Endoscopy, Gastroscopy)

  9. -graphy: Process of recording (Angiography)

  10. -stomy: Creation of an opening (Colostomy)

  11. -centesis: Surgical puncture to remove fluid (Amniocentesis)

General Suffixes

  1. -pathy: Disease (Neuropathy, Myopathy)

  2. -emia: Blood condition (Anemia, Leukemia)

  3. -gen, -genesis: Producing, forming (Pathogen, Carcinogenesis)

  4. -logy: Study of (Biology, Pathology)

  5. -lysis: Breakdown, destruction (Hemolysis)

  6. -penia: Deficiency (Leukopenia)

  7. -phobia: Fear (Hydrophobia)

  8. -rrhea: Flow, discharge (Diarrhea)

  9. -trophy: Development (Hypertrophy, Atrophy)

Cardiovascular System

  1. Cardi/o: Heart (Cardiology, Cardiomegaly)

  2. Angi/o, Vas/o: Vessel (Angioplasty, Vasodilation)

  3. Hemat/o, Hem/o: Blood (Hematology, Hemorrhage)

  4. Phleb/o, Ven/o: Vein (Phlebotomy, Venous)

Respiratory System
5. Pneum/o, Pulmon/o: Lung (Pneumonia, Pulmonology)
6. Bronch/o: Bronchus (Bronchitis)
7. Laryng/o: Larynx, voice box (Laryngitis)
8. Trache/o: Trachea, windpipe (Tracheotomy)
9. Thorac/o: Chest (Thoracotomy)

Digestive System
10. Gastr/o: Stomach (Gastroenteritis)
11. Enter/o: Intestine (Enterocolitis)
12. Hepat/o: Liver (Hepatomegaly)
13. Chol/e: Bile, gall (Cholelithiasis)
14. Col/o, Colon/o: Colon (Colonoscopy)

Body Parts/Regions

  1. Cephal/o: Head (Cephalalgia)

  2. Cervic/o: Neck (Cervical)

  3. Abdomin/o: Abdomen (Abdominal)

  4. Oste/o: Bone (Osteoporosis)

  5. My/o: Muscle (Myalgia)

  6. Derm/o, Dermat/o: Skin (Dermatitis)