latin

  • a- / an- → absence or lack

  • ab- → departing from; away from

  • ad- / ac- → to or toward

  • ana- → up, back, again

  • amphi- → on both sides; of both kinds

  • ante- → preceding; before

  • anti- → opposed to; preventing or inhibiting

  • aut- / auto- → self

  • bi- → two

  • brady- → slow

  • circum- → around

  • co-, com-, con- → together

  • contra- → against

  • cryn? (not used)

  • dia- → through, between, apart, across

  • dis- → reversal, apart from

  • dys- → difficult, faulty, painful

  • ec-, ex-, ecto- → out, outside, away from

  • endo- → within; intra- → within, inside

  • en-, em- → in, inside

  • epi- → over, above

  • eu- → well

  • exo-, extra- → outside, beyond

  • -ferent → carry (suffix form; used in compounds)

  • -form → expressing resemblance

  • -fuge → driving out

  • gastr- → stomach (root; see Roots section)

  • -gen → an agent that initiates; -genesis → produce, origin

  • glosso- → tongue (root; see Roots section)

  • glycol- → sugar, sweet

  • -gram → data that are symmetrically recorded, a record

  • -graph → instrument used for recording data or writing

  • -emia → condition of the blood

  • hemi- → half

  • hema-, hemato-, hemo- → blood

  • hepat- → liver

  • hetero- → different or other

  • hist- → tissue

  • hom-, homeo-, homo- → same

  • hydro-, hydr- → water

  • hyper- → excess

  • hypo- → below, deficient

  • hyster-, hystero- → uterus, womb

  • iatr- → treat, cure

  • - iatrics → medical specialty

  • iso- → equal, same

  • leuko- → white

  • lip-, lipo- → fat, lipid

  • macro- → large

  • mal- → bad, abnormal

  • -malacia → soft

  • mamm- / mast- → breast

  • meningo- → membrane

  • meso- → middle

  • meta- → beyond, between, transition

  • metro- → uterus

  • micro- → small

  • mito- → thread, filament

  • mono- → single

  • morpho- → form

  • multi- → many

  • myelo- → spinal cord, marrow

  • myo- → muscle

  • narco- → numbness

  • nephro- → kidney

  • neuro- → nerve

  • oculo- / ophthalm- → eye

  • odonto- → teeth

  • -odyn → pain

  • -oid → like, resembling

  • -oma → tumor

  • opthalmo- / opt- → eye

  • -opia → defect of the eye

  • ortho- → straight, direct

  • -ory → referring to, of

  • pan- → all, universal

  • para- → beside, near

  • peri- → around

  • phago- → eat

  • phleb- → vein

  • -phobia → fear

  • -plasty → reconstruction of a part, plastic surgery

  • -plegia → paralysis

  • pod- → foot

  • pan- → all

  • para- → beside; near

  • post- → after

  • pre-, pro- → before, ahead

  • procto- → rectum, anus

  • psuedo- → false

  • psycho- → mind, psyche

  • pyo- → pus

  • re- → back, again, contrary

  • retro- → backward, behind

  • -rrhagia → abnormal or excessive discharge

  • -rrhea → flow or discharge

  • sarco- → flesh or fleshy

  • sclero- → hard

  • -scope → instrument used for examination

  • semi- → half

  • somato- → body

  • -stasis → arrest, fixation

  • steno- → narrow

  • -stomy → establishment of an artificial opening

  • sub- → beneath, under

  • super- / supra- → above, upon

  • sym-, syn- → together, with

  • tachy- → rapid

  • therm- → heat

  • -tomy → to cut

  • tox- → poison

  • trans- → across, through

  • tri- → three

  • troph- → nourish

  • -tropic → changing; influencing

  • -ty → condition of, state

  • -uria → urine

  • vas- → vessel; vene- → vein

  • viscero- → organ, viscera

  • zyg- → yoked, paired (zygote)

  • -able → able to

  • -al → expressing relationship

  • -algia → pain in a certain part

  • -asis → condition, state of

  • -ary → associated with

  • -ectomy → cutting out, surgical removal

  • -emia → condition of the blood

  • -itis → inflammation

  • -logy → the study of

  • -lysis → loosening or breaking down

  • -gram → data that are symmetrically recorded, a record

  • -graph → instrument used for recording data or writing

  • -scope → instrument used for examination

  • -pathy → disease

  • -plasty → reconstruction of a part, plastic surgery

  • -plegia → paralysis

  • -stasis → arrest, fixation

  • -stomy → establishment of an artificial opening

  • -uria → urine

  • -rrhea → flow or discharge

  • -rrhagia → abnormal or excessive discharge

  • -oma → tumor

  • -oid → like, resembling

  • -opia → defect of the eye

  • -itis, -itis appears both as suffix and in lists

  • -form → expressing resemblance

  • -fuge → driving out

  • -ectomy → surgical removal (repeat for emphasis)

  • -path-? (as in -pathy) → disease

  • -tomy → to cut

  • -lysis → loosening or breaking down (repeat)

  • -cyte → cell (as in cyt-, cyto-)

  • -cyte → cell

  • -c → expressing relationship

  • -cele → hollow

  • -clast → smash, break

  • -gen → an agent that initiates; -genesis → produce, origin

  • -gram / -graph (repeat; data / instrument)

  • -oid → like, resembling

  • cardi- / cardio- → heart

  • cerebro- → brain, especially the cerebrum

  • crani- → skull

  • gastr- → stomach

  • gastr- appears as root; used with suffixes

  • hepato- / hepat- → liver

  • chol- → bile

  • cholecyst- → gallbladder

  • chondr- → cartilage

  • cysto- → bladder or sac

  • cyt-, cyto- → cell

  • de- (prefix; not a body part)

  • derm- → skin

  • crani- → skull

  • enter- / entero- → intestine

  • epi- → over, above

  • erythro- → red

  • eu- → well (prefix; not a part)

  • exo- / ecto- → outside

  • gastr- → stomach

  • glosso- → tongue

  • glycol- → sugar

  • hema- / hemato- / hemo- → blood

  • hepat- → liver

  • hist- → tissue

  • homo- / homeo- → same

  • lip- / lipo- → fat

  • mammo / mast- → breast

  • meningo- → membrane

  • meso- → middle

  • metro- → uterus

  • micro- → small

  • myo- → muscle

  • myelo- → spinal cord, marrow

  • nephro- → kidney

  • neur- / neuro- → nerve

  • oculo- / ophthalm- → eye

  • odonto- → teeth

  • ovo- / ovi- not used here

  • odyn- → pain

  • -oid → like, resembling (suffix used in roots)

  • opthalmo- → eye

  • pan- → all, universal

  • para- → beside, near

  • peri- → around

  • phago- → eat

  • phleb- → vein

  • viscero- → organ, viscera

  • zyg- → yoked, paired (zygote)