MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY
Word Roots, Suffixes and Prefixes
1. R ATION ALE
Medical language is used by all members of the healthcare team. It is essential for students to develop the
knowledge of medical language.
2. OBJECTIVES
Upon the completion of this lesson, the student will be able to demonstrate use of precise medical language
to clearly communicate ideas; to distinguish between technical and non-technical terms and use them
according to the circumstances; to grasp the meaning of medical terms by identifying their word roots,
suffixes and prefixes.
3. BRIEF THEORETICAL FR AMEWORK
Medical terminology is a vocabulary for accurately describing the human body and associated
components, conditions, processes and process in a science-based manner. It is to be used in the medical
and nursing fields. This systematic approach to word building and term comprehension is based on the
concept of: (1) word roots, (2) prefixes, and (3) suffixes. The word root is generally a term derived from a
source language such as Greek or Latin and usually describes a body part. The prefix can be added in front
of the term to modify the word root by giving additional information about the location of an organ, the
number of parts, or time involved. Suffixes are attached to the end of a word root to add meaning such as
condition, disease process, or procedure.
In the process of creating medical terminology, certain rules of language apply. So, when a term is
developed, some logical process is applied. The word root is developed to include a vowel sound following
the term to add a smoothing action to the sound of the word when applying a suffix. The result is the
formation of a new term with a vowel attached (word root + vowel) called a combining form. In English, the
most common vowel used in the formation of the combining form is the letter -o-, added to the word root.
Prefixes do not normally require further modification to be added to a word root because the prefix normally
ends in a vowel or vowel sound, although in some cases they may assimilate slightly and an in- may change
to im- or syn- to sym-.
Suffixes are categorized as either (1) needing the combining form, or (2) not needing the combining form
since they start with a vowel.
Decoding the medical term is an important process. Once experience is gained in the process of forming and
decoding medical terminology, the process begins to make sense and becomes easier. One approach
involves breaking down the word by evaluating the meaning of the suffix first, then prefix, and finally the word
root. This will generally produce a good result for the experienced health care professional. When in doubt,
the result should be verified by a medical terminology dictionary. The process of learning a new language,
such as medical terminology, is a challenging, yet attainable goal as the basic rules—once learned—make
the process easier.
In forming or understanding a word root, one needs a basic comprehension of the term and the source
language. The study of the origin of words is called etymology. For example, if a word was to be formed to
indicate a condition of kidneys, there are two primary roots: one from Greek (νεφρός nephr(os)) and one
from Latin (ren(es)). Renal failure would be a condition of kidneys, and nephritis is also a condition, or
inflammation, of the kidneys. The suffix -itis means inflammation, and the entire word conveys the meaning
inflammation of the kidney. To continue using these terms, other combinations will be presented for the
purpose of examples: The term supra-renal is a combination of the prefix supra- (meaning "above"), and the
word root for kidney, and the entire word means "situated above the kidneys". The word nephrologist
combines the root word for kidney to the suffix -ologist with the resultant meaning of "one who studies the
kidneys".
In medical terminology, the word root is not usually capable of standing alone as a complete word within a
sentence. This is different than most word roots in modern standard English. The medical word root is taken
from a different source language, so it will remain meaningless as a stand-alone term in an English
sentence. A suffix or prefix must be added to make a usable medical term. For example, the term for
"concerning the heart" is "cardiacus", from the Greek kardía. If a person is suffering from a heart related
illness, the statement, "The patient suffered a kardía event," would not make sense. However, with the
addition of a suffix -ac, the statement would be modified to read, "The patient suffered a cardiac event" which
is an acceptable use of medical terminology. The process is different in standard English because the word
roots are capable of standing alone in a sentence. For example, the word eye is a word root in English that
can be used without modification in a sentence.
An additional challenge to the student of medical terminology is that the formation of the plural of a word
must be done using the rules of forming the proper plural form as used in the source language. This is more
difficult than in English, where adding -s or -es is the rule. Greek and Latin each have differing rules to be
applied when forming the plural form of the word root. Often such details can be found using amedical
dictionary.
There is also another rule of medical terminology to be recognized by the student. When more than one
body part is used in the formation of a medical term, the individual word roots are joined together by using
the combining form using the letter -o- to indicate the joining together of various body parts. For example, if
there is an inflammation of the stomach and intestines, this would be written as gastro- and enter- plus itis, gastroenteritis. In this example, the -o- signifies the joining together of two body parts.
GASTR
stomach
+
O
and
+
ENTER
intestines
+
ITIS
inflammation
=
GASTROENTERITIS
inflammation of the
stomach and intestines
A useful little book, Chambers Classical Roots for Medics, has a simple guide to Latin and Greek plurals and
cases as an appendix to its main listings of medical prefixes and suffixes. Another extremely helpful book for
students’ just learning medical terminology for the first time is Davi-Ellen Chabner’s Medical Terminology, a
short course, and most current in the 9th edition. This book demystifies the pronoun/suffix and root word
breakdowns into very simplistic steps that work through the systems of the body, with illustrations. A
companion audio CD helps you to hear the words and use them correctly. Another companion Study CD
contains image glossaries and interactive games and visual learning strategies.
4. PUTTI NG THEORY I NTO PR AC TICE
I.
Match the word root, suffix, prefix or term with its corresponding meaning.
algia
death of tissue
cervi/c
hernia
cyte
narrowing
megaly
enlargement
enter/o
life
necrosis
breast
rhino
nose
cele
nerve
ot/o
small intestines
stenosis
neck
procto
side
neur/o
cell
bi/o
ear
mamm/o
joint
latero
painful
arthr/o
rectum
II. Comple with a medical term so as it matches with its meaning.
Bradycardia – Laryngitis – Dysuria- Thoracentesis – Craniostomy – Osteoarthritis –
Bilateral – Renal Nephrosis – Myocardium – Leukocyte - Hysterectomy
________________ : slow heartbeat
________________: white cell
________________: inflammation or infection of the voice box
________________: removal of the uterus
________________: painful urination
________________: heart muscle
________________: pertaining to the kidney
________________: abnormal condition of the kidney
________________: both or two sides
________________ : inflammation of the bone and joint
________________: surgical opening of the skull
________________: surgical puncture of the chest
III. Guess or provide the right meanings or terms.
1. The combining form hepato means _______________.
a. stomach
b. kidney
c. liver
d. lung
2. The combining form pnoea in dyspnoea or tachypnoea means _____________.
a. eat
b. sleep
c. breath
d. walk
3. The combining form for lung is ___________.
a. pleuro
b. pulmo
c. bronchi
d. throraco
4. The word pectoral refers to the ________.
a. breast
b. leg
c. feet
d. waist
5. The combining form for hard is _______.
a. jejuno
b. caeco
c. sclero
d. tracheo
IV. Guess or provide the right meanings or terms.
1. Chronic cholecystitis is characterized by repeated attacks of severe, sharp pain. Where does the pain
come from?
a. ovary
b. lower back
c. knee
d. bladder
2. Cervical spondylosis is a disease that affects the middle-aged and elderly. Which part of the body is being
affected?
a. neck
b. uterus
c. legs
d. arms
3. Malignant nephrosclerosis is a condition associated with severe high blood pressure. This is a serious
condition of the
a. kidneys
b. heart
c. arteries
d. neck
4. Blood clots in the hepatic artery generally do not require surgery to correct the problem even though an
obstruction can cause injury. Where is this artery located?
a. intestine
b. heart
c. leg
d. liver
5. Cerebral palsy is a condition characterized by poor muscle control, spasticity, and paralysis resulting from
injury during pregnancy, during birth, after birth or before age 5. Which part of the body is injured due to
cerebral palsy?
a. brain
b. spinal cord
c. lower back
d. neck
5. MOST COMMON PREFIXES, SUFFI XES AND WORD ROO TS IN MEDICI NE
Common Medical Prefixes
a-, an- negative, without
ab- away from
ad- towards
anti- against
ante- before
bi- two, both
brachy- short
brady- slow
dys- painful, difficult
dors- back
endo- inside
epi- above, upon
hemi- half
hyper- excessive, above, more
than
hypo- decrease, below, less
inter- between, among
intra- within, inside
macro- large, big
mal- bad
micro- small
neo- new
para- beside or below
peri- around
poly- many
post- after
sub- below
super- above
tachy- fast
Common Medical Suffixes
-algia painful
-asthenia weakness
-cele hernia
-centesis surgical puncture
-ectomy removal
-itis inflammation/infection
-gram picture
-malacia abnormal softening
-megaly enlargement
-necrosis death of tissue
-ology study of
-osis abnormal condition
-ostomy surgical opening
-otomy surgical incision
-orrhea flow
-pathy disease
-plasty surgical repair
-rrhaphy suture
-sclerosis abnormal hardening
-scope instrument to view
-stenosis narrowing
Common Medical Roots
acro extremities
aden gland
angi/o vessel
arteri/o aterio
arthr/o joint
brachi arm
brain cervi/c neck
cardi/o
cerebr/o
chrondr/o cartilage
col/o large intestines/colon
cost/o ribs
cyst/o sac/bladder
cyte cell
enter/o small intestines
gastr/o stomach
heart carp wrist
hemo/hemat blood
hepat liver
hyster/o uterus
lapar abdomen
laryng larynx (voice box)
latero side
lip/o fat
mamm/o breast
mast/o breast
medial middle
myel/o spinal cord/bone marrow
my/o muscle
nas/o nose
nephr/o kidney
neur/o nerve
oophor ovary
oste/o bone
ot/o ear
plegia paralysis
pneum/o lung/air
procto rectum
rhino nose
salpingo fallopian tube
tend/o tendon
thorac chest
trachi trachea (wind pipe)