Medical Terminology
Unit 12
Prefixes of Location and Medication
Administration
Breathing
• Re/spir/ation: Breathing
• Ex/pir/ation (n.): Breathing out
• Ex/pire, Ex/hale (v.): To breathe out
• In/spir/ation (n.): Breathing in
• In/spire (v.): To breathe in
In- = In, Into, Not
• In/compatible: Do not mix with each other
• In/compet/ency (n.): Not able to perform its
function.
– In/compet/ence (n.). In/compet/ent (adj.)
• In/continence: Lack of control of waste removal
– In/continence (n.). In/continent (adj.)
• In/sane: Not sane
• In/somnia: Inability to sleep
• In/coherent: Not coherent
In- = In, Into, Not
• In/cise (v.): To cut into
– In/cised (past tense verb)
• In/cision (n.): Cutting into
Vs.
• Ex/cise (v.): To cut out (remove)
• Ex/cision (n.): Cutting out
In- = In, Into, Not
• In/ject (v.): To introduce a substance into
the body (usually through a needle)
– In/jected (v., past tense)
• In/jector: One who (things which) injects
• In/jection: Procedure of injecting
In- = In, Into, Not
• In/fusion: Solution introduced into a vein
• In/stillation: Putting medicated drops into an
eye or body cavity.
– Stillare = To drip
• In/semin/ation: Process of placing semen into
the opening of the cervix
In- = In, Into, Not
• In/fested: Organisms living within or on
another organism
• In/flammation (n.): Condition with such
symptoms as a red, swollen, and warm area
– In/flamed (v., past tense)
Mal- = Bad, Poor
• Mal/odor/ous: Having a bad odor
• Mal/aise: General feeling of illness or
feeling poorly
• Mal/formation: Poor formation
• Mal/nutrition: Poor nutrition
• Mal/absorption: Poor absorption
Eating disorders
• Malnutrition may take the form of
overnutrition or undernutrition.
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Hyperphagia
Anorexia
Anorexia nervosa
Bulimea
Compulsive overeating
Malari/o = Malaria
– Disease caused by a parasite, Plasmodium vivax,
carried in mosquitoes. Initially thought to be caused
by “bad” night air.
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Mal/ari/a (n.): Bad air
Malari/al (adj.): Pertaining to malaria
Malari/ous (adj.): Having malaria
Malari/o/logy (n.): Study of malaria
Malari/o/therapy (n.):
– An obsolete method of treating syphilis of the central
nervous system by injecting malarial organisms into
the body. Organisms produce hyperthermia, which is
then terminated by antimalarial medication.
Tri- = Three
• Tri/ceps muscle has 3
heads
• Tri/cuspid valve has three
cusps
• Tri/genim/al nerve has 3
branches
• Tri/plets: 3 infants during
the same pregnancy
Bi- = Two
• Bi/furc/ate (v.): To divide into 2 branches
– Furco- = Branching or dividing
• Bi/furc/ation (n.): The part of a structure that
divides into 2 branches
• Bi/sexual: 1.) One who is sexually attracted to
both males and females. 2.) A person with
physical characteristics of both male and female
(hermaphrodite).
• Bi/polar: Affective disorder with severe mood
swings from a manic (excited) to a depressive
state. Having 2 poles.
Bi- = Two
• Muscle of 2 bellies
 Bi/ceps
• Tooth with 2 cusps
 Bi/cusps
• Lenses with 2 areas of focus  Bi/focal
Uni- = One
• Uni/corn has one horn
• Uni/ovular: Pertaining to twins who
develop from one ovum
• Uni/vers/al: Combined into one whole
Later/al = Pertaining to the side
Pertaining to:
• One side
• Two sides
• Three sides
 Uni/later/al
 Bi/later/al
 Tri/later/al
Multi- = Many
• Multi/cell/ular: Made of many cells
• Bi/cell/ular: Made of 2 cells
• Uni/cell/ular, Mono/cell/ular: Made of 1
cell
Nucleus
• Having one nucleus o Uni/nucle/ar, Mononuclear
• Having 2 nuclei
o Bi/nuclear
• Having many nuclei o Multi/nuclear
Semi-, Hemi- = Half
• Semi/circle: Half circle
• Semi/conscious: Half conscious
• Semi/private: Half private
Semi-, Hemi- = Half
• Half circular
• Half normal
• Half comatose
• Semi/circul/ar
• Semi/normal
• Semi/comatose
Semi-, Hemi- = Half
• Hemi/cardia: Presence of only half a heart
• Hemi/gastr/ectomy: Removal of half the
stomach
• Hemi/plegia, Hemi/paralysis: Paralysis of
half the body (on one side).
Semi-, Hemi- = Half
• Paralysis of half (one
side) of the body
• Half of a sphere
• Anesthesia of half the
body
• Hemi/plegia
• Hemi/sphere
• Hemi/an/esthesi/a
Genit/o = Reproductive system
– Genesis = Beginning, Formation
• Genit/al: Reproductive system structure
Con- = With
• Con/genit/al: Born with
– Congenital deformities or anomalies including
• Congenital cataract, scoliosis, kyphosis, glaucoma, syphilis
– Hydr/ophthalm/os is increased fluid pressure in eyes due to
congenital glaucoma
• Con/sanguin/ity: With blood, Blood relationship.
A relationship by descent from a common
ancestor
– Sanguin/o = Blood
– -ity = Quality
Sanguin/o = Blood
• Sanguin/ous, Sanguin/eous: Bloody
Dis- = To free of
• To free of, to separate, to undo
• Dis/ease: Free of ease
• Dis/sect (v.): To cut a tissue or to undo it for
purpose of study
– Dis/section (n.), Dis/sected (past tense verb)
• Dis/infect (v.): To free of infective agents
– Dis/infection (n.), Dis/infected (past tense verb)
• Dis/infectant: Chemical or physical agents that
prevent infection by killing microorganisms
Dis- = To free of
• Dis/associate: To break apart
• Dis/sociation (n.): Separation. Ability to move
one body segment independently of another. The
breaking off of normal thought processes from
consciousness
– Dis/sociate (v.)
– Dis/sociated (v. past tense or adj.)
• Multiple personality disorder (MPD)
– A split in consciousness resulting in 2 (or multiple)
different phases of personality, neither being aware of
the words, acts, and feelings of the other
Prefixes
• Post-
Behind, After
• Ante-
Before, Forward
• Pre-
Before, In front of
Post- = After
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Post/prandial (pp): After meals
Post/cibal (pc): After meals
Post/glucose (pg): After ingesting glucose
Post/esophageal: Behind the esophagus
Post/menopausal: After menopause
Post/operative: After an operation
Post/coit/al: After coitus (intercourse)
Post/part/um: After delivery (refers to the
mother)
Pre- = Before, In front of
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Pre/an/esthetic: Before anesthesia
Pre/hyoid: In front of the hyoid bone
Pre/operative: Before an operation
Pre/mature: Before maturity (readiness)
Pre/scribe: Write before you can take (Rx)
Pre/cancer/ous: Before cancer develops
Ante- = Before, Forward
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Ante/pyretic: Before the fever
Ante/flexion: Forward bending
Ante/version: Turning forward
Ante/part/um: Before delivery
Ante/position: Position in front
Nat/al = Birth
– Natal refers to birth and is related to the baby.
– Partum refers to delivery is related to the
mother.
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Peri/natal: Around birth
Post/natal: After birth
Pre/natal: Before birth
Ante/natal: Before birth
Febr/ile = Pertaining to fever
– Febris = Fever
• Post/febr/ile: Pertaining to
after a fever
• Ante/febr/ile: Pertaining
to before a fever
Mortem = Death
• Before death
• After death
• Antemortem
• Postmortem
• Mort/ality:
• Death rate. Statistics giving
the ratio of deaths in a given
population.
• Rate of occurrence of disease.
The ratio of disease in a
given population.
• Mobid/ity:
• A.M. = Ante-meridiem = Before noon
• P.M. = Post-meridiem = After noon
Intra- = Within
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Intra/abdominal: Within the abdomen
Intra/cellular: Within a cell
Intra/uterine: Within the uterus
Intra/ven/ous: Within a vein
Intra/spin/al: Within the spine
Intra/lumb/ar: Within the lumbar region
Intra- = Within
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Within an artery
Within the cranium
Within the bladder
Within the aorta
Within the skin
Within the duodenum
Within the thoracic
cavity
 Intra-/arteri/al
 Intra/crani/al
 Intra/cyst/ic
 Intra-/aort/ic
 Intra/derm/al
 Intra/duoden/al
 Intra/thorac/ic
Abbreviation
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Ac
Ad lib
AID
AIH
am, A.M.
Bid
caps
CRNA
exc
GNID
Gt/gtt. gtts
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Before meals (ante cibum)
Ad libetum as desired
Artificial insemination - donor’s sperm
Artificial insemination - husband’s sperm
Ante meridiem (morning)
Bis in die, twice a day
capsules
Certified registered nurse anesthetist
Excision
Gram-negative intracellular diplococcus
Drop, drops
Abbreviation
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I&O
IABP
ID
IM
inf
instill
IU
IUD
IV
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Intake and output
Intra-aortic balloon pump
Intradermal, identification
Intramuscular
Infusion
Instillation
International units
Intrauterine device
Intravenous
Abbreviation
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LPN
MSN
NP
pc
pm, P.M.
PO, po
prn
RN
sc, subcu, sq, subq
tab
tid
(see textbook)
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Licensed practical nurse
Masters of Science in Nursing
Nurse practitioner
After meals (post cibum)
Post meridiem (after noon)
Postoperative, by mouth (per os)
Pro renata, as needed or required
Registered nurse
Subcutaneous
tablet(s)
Ter in die, three times a day22
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
death