Roots/Combining forms, Prefixes and Suffixes
Exercise: Study the meanings of the prefixes, root words, and suffixes listed in the table
below. Then, figure out the meanings of the words in the table on the following page.
Prefixes
a-, an(no, not, without)
auto- (self)
dia(through, complete)
endo- (within)
epi- (above, upon)
ex-, exo- (out)
hyper(excessive, above, more
than normal)
hypo(deficient, below, less
than normal)
in- (into, in)
peri(surrounding, around)
pro- (before)
re- (back, backward,
again)
retro- (behind)
sub- (below, under)
trans(across, through)
ab- (away from)
Root Words
bi/o (life)
Suffixes
-ac (pertaining to)
carcin/o
(cancerous, cancer)
cardi/o (heart)
-al (pertaining to)
-algia (pain)
cephal/o (head), cerebr/o -cyte (cell)
(cerebrum)
cyt/o (cell)
-ectomy
(excision, removal),
-tomy (process of
cutting, incision)
derm/o, dermat/o (skin) -emia
(blood condition)
electr/o (electricity)
-genic (pertaining to,
producing, produced by,
or produced in)
encephal/o (brain)
-gram (record)
gastr/o (stomach)
gnos/o (knowledge)
-ic, -ical (pertaining to)
-ion (process)
hem/o, hemat/o (blood)
neur/o (nerve)
-ist (specialist)
-itis (inflammation)
ophthalm/o (eye)
oste/o (bone)
-logy (study of)
-oma (tumor, mass,
swelling)
-opsy
(process of viewing)
-scope (instrument)
path/o (disease)
psych (mind)
adapted from Chabner’s Medical Terminology
Ayesha Kamal, English 181, Fall 2009
Word
Meaning
biology
biopsy
carcinoma
cardiology
cerebral
cytology
diagnosis
electroencephalogram
epigastric
gastrectomy
neurology
ophthalmoscope
pathologist
psychology
retrocardiac
Bonus: How many more words can you think of?
adapted from Chabner’s Medical Terminology
Ayesha Kamal, English 181, Fall 2009