Human Anatomical Terminology – Essential Components
1. Prefixes Indicating Location, Direction, and Tendency
Prefix
Meaning
Example____________________________
AbAdAnteBradyBrevCircumCoConContraCounterDisEctEndEpiExHypoHyperImInInfraPeriPostPreProSuperSupraSymSynTrans-
from, away
to, near, toward
before
slow
short
around
with, together
with, together
against
against
apart from
outside
within
upon, on top of
out from
under, lower
above, higher
not
not
under, below
around
after
before
before
above, on top
above, on top
with, together
with, together
through, across
abnormal - away from normal
adrenal - near the kidney
antepartum - before delivery of child
bradycardia - slow heart beat
brevity - in a short time
circumocular - around the eye
coordinate - work together
congenital - with birth
contraindicated - not indicated
counterirritant - against irritation
disarticulated - taking a joint apart
ectonuclear - outside the nucleus
endocardium - membrane lining inner heart
epidermis - upon the skin
exhalation - breathe out
hypodermic - under the skin
hyperactive - higher level activity
immature - not mature
incurable - not curable
infrapatellar - below the knee
pericardium - sac around the heart
postmortem - after death
prenatal - before birth
prognosis - a fore-knowing
superciliary - above the eyebrow
suprapubic - above the pubic bone
symphony - sounds played together
synarthrosis - union of bones
transurethral - through the urethra
2. Prefixes Indicating Number and Measurement
Prefix
Meaning
Example____________________________
UniMonoBiBinDiTerTriQuadrTetra-
one
one
two
two
two
three
three
four
four
unicycle - one wheel
mononuclear - one nucleus
bilateral - two sides
binocular - two eyes
dicephalic - two heads
tertiary - the third part or stage
trilobar - three lobes
quadriceps - muscle with four heads
tetracylcine - a four-ringed molecule
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Prefix
Meaning
Example____________________________
PolyOligo-
many
few
polydactyly - many digits (more than 5)
oligosaccharide - few sugars linked together
MicroMacroMega-
small
large
great, enormous
microscope - equipment to view small things
macrophage - large eating cell
megadontia - huge teeth
3. Prefixes Denoting Organs, Structures, Things
Prefix
Meaning
Example____________________________
AcoustAudAbdomin/o
Acr/o
Blast/o
Aden/o
Angi/o
Arthr/o
Bucc/o
Cardi/o
CorpChondr/o
Cephal/o
Cyst/o
Cyt/o
Dent/o
Dermat/o
Duoden/o
Encephal/o
Gastr/o
Hepat/o
Gloss/o
GluteLaryng/o
My/o
Nephr/o
Neur/o
Oste/o
Ot/o
Ophthalm/o
Path/o
Pneumon/o
Rhin/o
Stomat/o
Thorac/o
sound
ear, hear
abdomen
extremity, limbs
early, embryonic
gland
vessel
joint
cheek
heart
body
cartilage
head
bladder
cell
tooth
skin
duodenum
brain
stomach
liver
tongue
buttocks
larynx
muscle
kidney
nerve
bone
ear
eye
disease
lung
nose
mouth, opening
chest or thorax
acoustics - quality of sound
audition - to hear someone
abdominal - relating to the abdomen
acromegaly - abnormally large limbs
blastocyte - embryonic type cell
adenopathy - disease of a gland
angiogram - picture of a vessel
arthritis - inflammation of a joint
buccolabial - relating to cheek and lip
cardiology - study of the heart
corpus callosum - connecting body
chondrocyte - cartilage cell
cephalic - relating to the head
cystoscopy - view of the bladder
cytokinesis - cell movement
dental - referring to teeth
dermatitis - skin inflammation
duodenal - relating to the duodenum
encephalitis - brain inflammation
gastrointestinal - stomach and intestine
hepatitis - liver inflammation
glossopathy - tongue disease
gluteus minimus - small buttocks muscle
laryngitis - larynx inflammation
myocardium - heart muscle
nephrologist - one who studies kidneys
neurosurgeon - surgeon of nervous system
osteocyte - bone cell
otitis media - middle ear inflammation
exophthalmos - eyes bulge out
pathological - relating to disease
pneumonia - condition of the lung
rhinoplasty - reform the nose
stomatitis - mouth inflammation
thoracocentesis - puncture of the thorax
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4. Suffixes Denoting Relations, Conditions, and Agents
Suffix
Meaning
Example____________________________
-ac
-ious
-ic
related to
related to
related to
cardiac - related to the heart
contagious - communicable by contact
pyloric - related to pyloric valve of stomach
-ism
-osis
-tion
condition
condition
condition
mutism - condition of being mute
scoliosis - S-shaped condition of backbone
constipation - constant blockage condition
-ist
-or
-er
-ician
agent (a person)
agent
agent
agent
opthalmologist - eye doctor
operator
examiner
physician
5. Suffixes Used for Surgical and Operative Terminology
Suffix
Meaning
Example____________________________
-centesis
-ectomy
-ostomy
-otomy
-pexy
-plasty
-rraphy
-scopy
to puncture
to cut out and remove
to cut and form opening
to cut or slice
to fix or repair
to reform or repair
to suture, sew
to view
amniocentesis - puncture the amnion (fluid)
appendectomy - cut out & remove appendix
colostomy - opening to drain the colon
tracheotomy - cut the trachea
gastropexy - repair the stomach
rhinoplasty - reform the nose
ateriorraphy - suture an artery
otoscope - instrument to view ear
6. Other Suffixes Used in Anatomy
Suffix
Meaning
Example____________________________
-algia
-cide
-emia
-gram
-graph
-itis
-ology
-oma
-orrhea
-malacia
-phasia
-phobia
pain
kill or destroy
of the blood
writing or record
recording instrument
inflammation
the study of
tumor
flow
soft
speech
fear
neuralgia - nerve pain
germicide - substance that kills germs
cholesterolemia - cholesterol in the blood
electrocardiogram - record of heart action
electrocardiograph - records the heart
appendicitis - appendix inflammation
ophthalmology - study of the eye
lymphoma - tumor of lymphatics
menorrhea - flow during menstruation
osteomalacia - bone softening
dysphasia - slurred or blunted speech
arachnophobia - fear of spiders
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