Overview Of Word Components

One important method to understand complex medical words is to break them down into recognizable components. A list of common word parts along with examples follows.

1. Prefix: comes at the beginning of a word
   • Example: In peri/nat/o/logy, peri- is the prefix
2. Suffix: comes at the end of a word
   • Example: In peri/nat/o/logy, -ology is the suffix
3. Word root: body of the word
   • Example: In peri/nat/o/logy, nat is the word root
4. Combining form: body of the word with a vowel
   • Example: In peri/nat/o/logy, nat/o is a combining form

Linking elements together builds words that describe medical conditions, procedures, diseases, and structures. Structures usually have a Latin background, while procedures, processes, and diseases come from Greek words.