UNDERSTANDING MEDICAL TERMS
At first glance, medical terminology can seem like a foreign language. But often the key to understanding medical terms is focusing on their components (prefixes, roots, and suffixes). For example, spondylolysis is a combination of “spondylo,” which means vertebra, and “lysis,” which means dissolve, and so means dissolution of a vertebra.
The same components are used in many medical terms. “Spondylo” plus “itis,” which means inflammation, forms spondylitis, an inflammation of the vertebrae. The same prefix plus “malacia,” which means soft, forms spondylomalacia, a softening of the vertebrae.
Knowing the meaning of a small number of components can help with interpretation of a large number of medical terms. The following list defines many commonly used medical prefixes, roots, and suffixes.
| a(n) | absence of |
| acou, acu | hear |
| aden(o) | gland |
| aer(o) | air |
| alg | pain |
| andr(o) | man |
| angi(o) | vessel |
| ankyl(o) | crooked, curved |
| ante | before |
| anter(i) | front, forward |
| anti | against |
| arteri(o) | artery |
| arthr(o) | joint |
| articul | joint |
| ather(o) | fatty |
| audi(o) | hearing |
| aur(i) | ear |
| aut(o) | self |
| bi, bis | double, twice, two |
| brachy | short |
| brady | slow |
| bucc(o) | cheek |
| carcin(o) | cancer |
| cardi(o) | heart |
| cephal(o) | head |
| cerebr(o) | brain |
| cervic | neck |
| chol(e) | bile, or referring to gallbladder |
| chondr(o) | cartilage |
| circum | around, about |
| contra | against, counter |
| corpor | body |
| cost(o) | rib |
| crani(o) | skull |
| cry(o) | cold |
| cut | skin |
| cyan(o) | blue |
| cyst(o) | bladder |
| cyt(o) | cell |
| dactyl(o) | finger or toe |
| dent | tooth |
| derm(ato) | skin |
| dipl(o) | double |
| dors | back |
| dys | bad, faulty, abnormal |
| ectomy | excision (removal by cutting) |
| emia | blood |
| encephal(o) | brain |
| end(o) | inside |
| enter(o) | intestine |
| epi | outer, superficial, upon |
| erythr(o) | red |
| eu | normal |
| extra | outside |
| gastr(o) | stomach |
| gen | become, originate |
| gloss(o) | tongue |
| glyc(o) | sweet, or referring to glucose |
| gram, graph | write, record |
| gyn | woman |
| hem(ato) | blood |
| hemi | half |
| hepat(o) | liver |
| hist(o) | tissue |
| hydr(o) | water |
| hyper | excessive, high |
| hypo | deficient, low |
| hyster(o) | uterus |
| iatr(o) | doctor |
| infra | beneath |
| inter | among, between |
| intra | inside |
| itis | inflammation |
| lact(o) | milk |
| lapar(o) | flank, abdomen |
| latero | side |
| leuk(o) | white |
| lingu(o) | tongue |
| lip(o) | fat |
| lys(is) | dissolve |
| mal | bad, abnormal |
| malac | soft |
| mamm(o) | breast |
| mast(o) | breast |
| megal(o) | large |
| melan(o) | black |
| mening(o) | membranes |
| my(o) | muscle |
| myc(o) | fungus |
| myel(o) | marrow |
| nas(o) | nose |
| necr(o) | death |
| nephr(o) | kidney |
| neur(o) | nerve |
| nutri | nourish |
| ocul(o) | eye |
| odyn(o) | pain |
| oma | tumor |
| onc(o) | tumor |
| oophor(o) | ovaries |
| ophthalm(o) | eye |
| opia | vision |
| opsy | examination |
| orchi(o) | testes |
| osis | condition |
| osse(o) | bone |
| oste(o) | bone |
| ot(o) | ear |
| path(o) | disease |
| ped(o) | child |
| penia | deficient, deficiency |
| peps, pept | digest |
| peri | around |
| phag(o) | eat, destroy |
| pharmaco | drug |
| pharyng(o) | throat |
| phleb(o) | vein |
| phob(ia) | fear |
| plasty | repair |
| pleg(ia) | paralysis |
| pnea | breathing |
| pneum(ato) | breath, air |
| pneumon(o) | lung |
| pod(o) | foot |
| poie | make, produce |
| poly | much, many |
| post | after |
| poster(i) | back, behind |
| presby | elder |
| proct(o) | anus |
| pseud(o) | false |
| psych(o) | mind |
| pulmon(o) | lung |
| pyel(o) | pelvis of kidney |
| pyr(o) | fever, fire |
| rachi(o) | spine |
| ren(o) | kidneys |
| rhag | break, burst |
| rhe | flow |
| rhin(o) | nose |
| scler(o) | hard |
| scope | instrument |
| scopy | examination |
| somat(o) | body |
| spondyl(o) | vertebra |
| steat(o) | fat |
| sten(o) | narrow, compressed |
| steth(o) | chest |
| stom | mouth, opening |
| supra | above |
| tachy | fast, quick |
| therap | treatment |
| therm(o) | heat |
| thorac(o) | chest |
| thromb(o) | clot, lump |
| tomy | incision (operation by cutting) |
| tox(i) | poison |
| uria | urine |
| vas(o) | vessel |
| ven(o) | vein |
| vesic(o) | bladder |
| xer(o) | dry |