Prefixes & Suffixes

a-/an-

without/not 

epi-

on/over

hyper-

excessive/over

hypo-

below normal/deficient

peri-

around

sub-

under/lower

-ac

Pertaining to/involving 

-al

Of the kind, pertaining to

-algia

pain

-cyte

cell

-ectomy

removal/excision

-gram

image/record 

-ia

condition

-ist

Relating to 

-itis

inflammation

-logy

Study of

-oma

tumor/mass

-osis

Condition/action (often abnormal)

-pathy

Disease

-scope

Looking instrument

-scopy

Act of looking/visual examination  

trans-

across/beyond

ab-

From, away

anti-

against

brady-

slow

de-

away from, down

dys-

Difficult, painful, bad 

endo-

Within, innermost

inter-

Between, amongst

intra-

Within, inside

mega-

large, enlarged

tachy-

rapid, fast

tetra-

four

-constriction

Making narrower

-dilation

Making wider

-ectasis

Expansion, dilation/stretching

-emia

blood

-graph

diagram/recording instrument

-graphy

Process of recording

-lysis

destruction/dissolving

-megaly

Large, enlarged

-meter

Measuring instrument

-oxia

Oxygen levels

-plasty

Surgical correction/repair

-ptysis

spitting

-sclerosis

dryness/hardness

-stenosis

contracted/narrowing

-tomy

incision