PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND STEMS
The following list gives the meaning of prefixes, suffixes,
and stems that are commonly used to form scientific terms.
Whenever you encounter a new term in your study of
biology, break it apart and try to find the parts in this list.
For example, you might take the word nephrology. The stem
nephro- is derived from the Greek word nephros, meaning
“kidney,” while the stem logo- is derived from the Greek
word logos meaning “thought” or “study of.”
It has often been necessary to add a vowel when combining
forms for a pleasing pronunciation. For example, bacteri +
logy becomes bacteriology. For the same reason, it is also
necessary at times to drop or change a vowel in a prefix,
suffix or stem. For example, gastro becomes gastric, the
adjective pertaining to the stomach.
Most scientific words are derived from either ancient Greek
or Latin because neither of these neither of these languages
is used now so that they are unchanging, and also they are
studied universally. As a result, you will find that Latin noun
endings are often used in biology.
a-, anab-aceus; -aceous
acouacr--, acr0adadenoagri-al
alb-algia
altoamebamphibiampho-, amb- both
no, lacking, non
away from; out from
of or pertaining to
hearing
extreme, peak
to, toward
gland
field, soil
having characteristic of
white
pain
high
change; alteration
leading a double life
ananaandroanemoangioanteanteroanthoantianthropoapaquarchaeoarthroaster-, astr-ate
-ation
atomaudiautobactrbarbbarobathbenebibrachibranchibrevbronchcalorcarbcardicarncarpcarpalcaud-
not, without
up
masculine, man
wind
vessel
before, ahead of time
front
flower
against
man
to, toward
water
primitive, ancient
joint
star
used in forming verbs from nouns
used in forming nouns from verbs
vapor
hear
self
stick, club
beard
weight
depth, height
well, good
two, twice, double
having arms
having fins
short
windpipe
heat
coal, carbon
heart
meat
fruit
wrist
tail
QUIZ # 1
cell-cene
centicentrcephalcervic-
storeroom, chamber
new, recent
hundredth
center
head
neck
chem.referring to chemistry
chlorgreen
chrom-, -chrome color
chymjuice
-cide
killing
circumaround, about
cirruhairlike curls
cowith, together
coccseed
coelhollow
collglue
comwith, together
conwith, together
conicones
contraagainst
corpbody
cosmoworld, order, form
cotylcup
counteragainst
crypthidden, covered
-cule, -culus
added to nouns to
form diminutive
cucmulheaped
cutiskin
cyandark blue
-cycle, cyciring, circle
cystbladder, pouch
cyt-, -cyte
cell, receptacle
dactyfinger
decaten
decitenth
deliquescbecome fluid
demihalf
dendrtree
denttooth
dermskin
ditwo, double
diathrough, across
dinterrible
disapart, out
dormsleep
dorsback
du-, duo
two
-duct
lead
dynam
power
dysill, bad
ecout of, outside
echinspiny, prickly
ecohouse
QUIZ # 2
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ectoutside, without
electroelectric, electricity
enin, into
-en
made of
encephalbrain
end-, entwithin, in
enterintestines
-eous
nature of, like
epion, above
-err
wander, go astray
erythrored
ethnorace, people
euwell, good
extrabeyond, outside of
exout of
-fer
bear, carry, produce
ferroiron
fibrfiber, thread
-fid, fisdivided into, split
-flect, -flex
bend
florflower
fluorfluorine
folileaf
fractbreak
galact-, galax, milk, milky fluid
gastrostomach
geoland, earth
-gen, -gine
producer, former
-gene, geneorigin
-gest
carry, produce
globbell, round
glottis
mouth of windpipe
-gon
angle, corner
-gony
offspring, generation,
coming into being
-grade
step, division
-gram
writing, record
-graphy, -graph writing, record
gravgross
gymno
gyngyrhaem-, hemhepatic
herbheterohexhibern-
heavy
thick
naked
female
ring, circle, spiral
blood
liver
grass
different, other
six
winter
hipphistholohomohorthybridhydrhygrhypohyperhyphohypno-ic
horse
tissue
entire, whole
man
garden
mongrel, mix
water
wet, moist
beneath, under, less
above, beyond, over
weaving
sleep
added to nouns to form
adjectives
fish
fire
not
to, toward, into
not
of or pertaining to
below, beneath
between
within, inside
go, come
a state or condition
equal, same
inflammation, disease
thousand
tear
milk
side, flank
without
ichthyigniminin-ine
infrointerintra-ion
-ism
iso-itis
kilolachrylactlat-less
QUIZ # 3
leuclignlinlinguliquliplith-, -lite
loc-logy
-lysis, -lyte
-lyst
macrmalmallemammmargmastmedmegmela-, melanmesmet-, metametero-meter, -metry
white, bright, light
wood
line
tongue
become fluid, liquid
fat
stone, petrifying
place
study
metero-
dissolve, decompose
large
bad, evil
hammer
breast
border, edge
breast
middle
great, million
black, dark
middle, half, intermediate
between, along, after
lofty, high, in air
way of measuring, I
instrument for measuring
uterus
QUIZ # 4
micromilliimismitomolemonomontmortmov-, -mot
morphmultimycelmyriamollnasnematneo-
small
thousandth
wrong, incorrect
thread, filament
mass
one, single
mountain
death
move
shape, form
many
fungus
many
soft
nose
thread
new, recent
nephro-ner,neur-, nervnoct-, nox-node
-nomy, -nome
nonnotnucoboculoctodont-oid
olfomniooopthalopt-, -opsy
orborthoscuoste-ous
ovoxypachypaleopalmpanparpath-, -pathy
-ped
pent-
kidney
moist, liquid
nerve, tendon
night
knot
distribute, arrange, law
not
back
center
against
eye
eight
teeth
like in form or shape
smell
all
egg
eye
eye, vision
circle, round, ring
straight, correct, right
mouth
bone
full of, abounding in
egg
sharp, acid, oxygen
thick
old, ancient
broad, flat
all
beside, near, equal,
bring forth
disease, suffering
foot
five
QUIZ # 5
perpermeaphagphenophilphon-, -phone
-phore
photo-
through
pass, go
eat
show
living, fond of
sound
bearer
light
phyc-phyll
physi-
seaweed, algae
leaf
nature, natural
qualities
-phte, phytplant
planroaming, wandering
plasm-, -plast form, formed into
pleurlungs, air
-pod
foot
polymany
poropening
portcarry
postafter, behind
pomfruit
prebefore, ahead of time
proforward, favoring
proctorectum, anus
protofirst, primary
pseudfalse, deceptive
pterhaving wings or fins
pulmolungs
pulsdrive, push
pyrheat, fire
quadrfour, four-fold
quinfive
radiray, spoke of a wheel,
energy in rays
reagain, back
rectcorrect, right
ren-,
kidney
retnet, made like a net
rhinnose
rhizroot
rubrred
-saccharsugar
saprrotten
saurlizard
sclerhard
sciknow
scope
look, observe
-scribe,script
write
semihalf, partly
QUIZ # 6
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septseptic
sex-sis
solsolvsomnsonspec-, spicspermspher-spire
spore
statstellsternstom-, -stome
stratstereostrictstylsubsupersursym-, syn-tachytarsotaxteleterrtetr-thall
therm-tom
toxicotoptranstritrich-trophtrop-ule
ultraur-
partition, seven
putrefaction, infection
six
condition, state
sun
loosen, free
sleep
sound
look at
seed
ball
breathe
seed
standing, placed
stars
breast, chest
mouth
layer
solid, 3-D
drawn tight
pillar
under, below
over, above, on top
over, above, on top
together
quick, swift
ankle
arrangement
far off, at a distance
earth
four
yound shoot
heat
cut, slice
poison
place
across
three
hair
one who feeds,
turning, changing
diminutive
beyond
urine
vasvectven-. Ventventrvicevigvit-, vivvolvvorxanthinzo-, -zoa
zygzym-
vessel
carry
come
belly
in place of
strong
life
roll, wander
devour, eat
yellow
animal
yolk
yeast
QUIZ # 7