Chapter 4
Prefixes
In this chapter you will
1. Define basic prefixes used in the medical
language
2. Analyze medical terms that combine prefixes
and other word elements
PREFIXES page 111-112
Prefix
Meaning
a-, an
no, not, without
ab-
away from
ad-
toward
ana-
up, apart
ante-
before, forward
PREFIXES - page 111-113
Prefix
Meaning
anti-
against
auto-
self, own
bi-
two
brady-
slow
cata-
down
con-
with, together
PREFIXES – page 113-114
Prefix
Meaning
contra-
against, opposite
de-
down, lack of
dia-
through, complete
dys-
bad, painful, difficult
ec-, ecto
out, outside
en-, endo-
in, within
PREFIXES- page 114
Prefix
Meaning
epi-
upon, on, above
eu-
good, normal
ex-
out, away from
hemi-
half
hyper-
excessive, above
hypo-
deficient, under
PREFIXES – page 114-115
Prefix
Meaning
in-
not
in-
into, within
infra-
beneath
inter-
between
intra-
into, within
macro-
large
PREFIXES – page 115-116
Prefix
Meaning
mal-
bad
meta-
beyond, change
micro-
small
neo-
new
pan-
all
para-
abnormal, beside,
near
PREFIXES – page 116
Prefix
Meaning
per-
through
peri-
surrounding
poly-
many, much
post-
after, behind
pre-
before, in front of
pro-
before, forwrad
PREFIXES – page 116-117
Prefix
Meaning
pseudo-
false
re-
back, again
retro-
behind, backwards
sub-
under
supra-
above, upper
syn-, sym-
together, with
PREFIXES – page 117
Prefix
Meaning
tachy-
fast
trans-
across, through
ultra-
beyond, excel
uni-
one
apnea
• a• -pnea: breathing
• Not breathing
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxw_Bzsilf
0
anoxia
• an• -oxia: oxygen
• Without oxygen
– Decreased oxygen in tissues
• supply of O2 to the respiratory system
• Inability of the blood to carry O2 to the
tissues
• Inability of the tissues to absorb O2 from
the circulation
abnormal
•
•
•
•
ab-: away from
norm/o: rule, order
-al
Pertaining to away from the rule
– Not normal
abductor
•
•
•
•
abduct/o: to lead, carry
-or
One who leads away
– A muscle that draws a limb away from
the body
– To abduct means to carry away by
force; kidnap
adductor
•
•
•
•
ad-: toward
duct/o
-or
One who leads toward
– To admit means to send toward or permit
entrance
adrenal glands
•
•
•
•
adren/o
-al
Pertaining to toward the kidney
– Endocrine glands located above
(toward) the kidneys
– Also called suprarenal glands
– Secrete the hormone adrenalin
(epinephrine)
anabolism
•
•
•
•
anabol/o
-ism
Process of casting up
– Constructive metabolism characterized
by the conversion of simple substances
into more complex compounds
analysis
• ana-: up, apart
• -lysis
• To separate apart
ante cibum
•
•
•
•
ante-: before, forward
cib/o: meals
-um: structure, tissue, thing
(Thing) before meals
– Abbreviation: a.c.
anteflexion
•
•
•
•
anteflex/o: to bend
-ion
Process of bending forward
– An abnormal position of an organ in which the
organ is tilted acutely forward, folded over on
itself
ante partum
• ante- before
• -partum: birth, labor
• Before birth
antisepsis
•
•
•
•
anti-: against
seps/o: infection
-sis
Condition against infection
antibiotic
•
•
•
•
antibi/o
-tic
Pertaining to against (germ) life
– Inhibits the growth of microorganisms
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYYwZd8Qrjs
antigen
• anti-: antibody
• -gen
• Producing antibodies
– A substance (usually foreign: a poison, virus or
bacteria) that stimulates the production of
antibodies
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIQBBgAcSdI
antibody
• Protein substance made in the body
to destroy foreign antigens
– Made by white blood cells in response
to bacteria, viruses, or other antigenic
substances
– The reaction between an antigen and an
antibody is called an immune reaction
Antitoxin
• anti- against
• tox/o: poison
• -in: a substance
• A substance against poison
– Examples: Botulism, tetanus, diphtheria
autoimmune
• auto• immun/o: immune, protection, safe
• Self protection
– the body makes antibodies against its own
good cells and tissues, causing inflammation
and injury
– rheumatoid arthritis: joints
– systemic lupus erythematosus:connective
tissues, skin, and internal organs
– Graves disease: thyroid gland
bifurcation
• bi-: two
• furc/o: forking, branching
• -ation: condition
• Condition of branching into two
Bilateral
•
•
•
•
bilater/o
-al
Pertaining to two sides
bradycardia
• brady-: slow
• cardi/o
• -ia
• Condition of a slow heart beat
catabolism
• cata-
• bol/o
• -ism
• Process of casting down
congenital anomaly
• Congenital: present at birth
• Anomaly: deviation from normal
• Irregularity at birth
connective
• con-: with, together
• nect/o: to bind, tie, connect
• To tie together
contraindication
• contra-: against, opposite
• Indication: to point out
• To point out against
– Pregnancy is a contraindication for the prescription of
Tetracycline
Contralateral
•
•
•
•
Contralater/o
-al
Pertaining to the opposite side
– The muscles on one side of the body are
controlled by nerves on the contralateral
side of the brain
dehydration
•
•
•
•
de-: down, lack
hydr/o
-tion
Condition of lack of water
– May follow a prolonged fever, diarrhea, vomiting
diameter
• dia-: through, complete
• -meter: measure
• To measure through
diarrhea
• dia-
• -rrhea: flow, discharge
• Complete flow through
– Water is not properly absorbed through
the walls of the colon
dialysis
• dia• -lysis
• Complete separation
– Artificial
kidney
machine
dyspnea
• dys:- bad, painful, difficult, abnormal
• -pnea: breathing
• Difficult breathing
dysplasia
• dys• -plasia: development, formation
• Abnormal development or formation
ectopic pregnancy
•
•
•
•
ec-: out, outside
top/o: place, position, location
-ic
Pertaining to a pregnancy out of
place
– Outside the uterus
endocardium
•
•
•
•
endocardi/o
-um
Tissue within the heart
– Inner lining of the heart
endoscope
• endo• -scope
• Instrument to view within (the body)
– Gastroscope
– Bronchoscope
– Laryngoscope
endotracheal
•
•
•
•
endo-: in, within
trache/o
-al
Pertaining to within
the trachea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VGiBwy
fuNI
epithelium
•
•
•
•
epithel/o
-ium
Skin cell
– Literally, "upon a nipple."
euphoria
• eu-: good, normal
• -phoria: to bear, carry, feeling (mental
state)
• Feeling good
– Seen in some forms of schizophrenia,
and in drug induced states
euthyroid
•
•
•
•
euthyr/o: shield
-iod: resembling
Resembling a normal shield
– Normal thyroid function
exophthalmos
• ex- out, away from
• ophthalm/o
• Eyes that protrude out
– Associated with enlargement and
overactivity of the thyroid gland
hemiglossectomy
• hemi-: half
• gloss/o: tongue
• -ectomy
• Removal of half the tongue
Hyperglycemia
•
•
•
•
hyperglyc/o
-emia
High blood
sugar
hyperplasia
• hyper• -plasia
• Excessive formation
– increase in number of cells
hypertrophy
• hyper-
• -trophy
• Excessive development
– increase in size of cells
• hypo-
hypodermic
• derm/o
• -ic
• Pertaining to below the skin
Hypoglycemia
•
•
•
•
hypoglyc/o
-emia
Decreased blood
sugar
insomniac
• in-: not, into
• somn/o: sleep
• -iac: pertaining to
• Pertaining to not sleeping
Somnambulist
Incision
• in-
• cis/o
• -ion
• Process of cutting into
infracostal
•
•
•
•
infra-: beneath
cost/o: rib
-al
Pertaining to beneath
the ribs
– Subcostal
intercostal
• inter-: between
• cost/o
• -al
• Pertaining to between the ribs
intravenous
•
•
•
•
intra-: within, into
ven/o
-ous
Pertaining to within a vein
– IV
macrocephaly
•
•
•
•
macro-: large
cephal/o
-y: condition
Condition of a large head
– A congenital anomaly that usually results in some
degree of mental retardation
malignant
• mal-: bad
• ignis: fire
• Harmful, bad; cancerous condition
malaise
• French
• "bad feeling.“
• Often marks the onset of disease
metacarpal bones
•
•
•
•
metacarp/o: wrist bones
-al
Pertaining to the bones beyond the
wrist bones
– Five hand bones
metamorphosis
•
•
•
•
metamorph/o
-sis
Condition of change of shape or form
metastasis
• meta• -stasis
• Beyond control
microscope
• micro-: small
• Scope
• Instrument to view small objects
neonatal
• Neo
• nat/i: birth
• -al
• Pertaining to a new birth
– The first 28 days after birth
neoplasm
• neo-: new
• -plasm
• New formation
– May be benign or malignant
pancytopenia
•
•
•
•
pan-: all
cyt/o
-penia
Deficiency in all (blood) cells
Paralysis
• para• -lysis
• Abnormal destruction (of nerves)
– Abnormal disruption of the connection
between nerve and muscle resulting in the
loss of muscle function, the loss of
sensation, or both
– Caused by trauma, disease, or poisoning
parathyroid glands
• para-: near, beside, abnormal
• thyr/o
• -oid
• Endocrine glands located near the
thyroid gland
– Secretes parathyroid hormone which
helps maintain the level of blood
calcium
– A paramedic works beside and assists a
doctor
percutaneous
• per-: through
• cutane/o: skin
• -ous
• Pertaining to through the skin
percutaneous
pericardium
•
•
•
•
pericardi/o
-um
structure surrounding the heart
Periosteum
•
•
•
•
perioste/o
-um
Structure surrounding bone
polymorphonuclear
•
•
•
•
•
poly-: many, much
morph/o
nucle/o
-ar
Pertaining to a many-shaped
nucleus
– A type of WBC
polyneuritis
• poly• neur/o
• -itis
• inflammation of many nerves
postmortem
• post-: after, behind
• mort/o: death
• After death
postpartum
• post-
• -partum
• After birth
precancerous
•
•
•
•
pre-: before, in front of
cancer/o
-ous
Pertaining to before cancer
– A stage of abnormal tissue growth that is
likely to develop into a malignant tumor.
prenatal
•
•
•
•
prenat/i
-al
Pertaining to before birth
– Antenatal
prodrome
• pro-: before, forward
• -drome: to run
• To run before
– Symptoms that appear before the onset of
a more severe illness
prolapse
• pro• -lapse: to slide, fall, sag
• Sliding forward or downward (of an
organ)
– The falling, sinking, or sliding of an
organ from its normal position or
location in the body
pseudocyesis
• pseudo-: false
• -cyesis: pregnancy
• State of false pregnancy
– Signs of pregnancy without the presence
of an embryo
– May be psychogenic in origin, caused by
a tumor or endocrine disorder
relapse
• re-: back, again
• -lapse
• A sliding back
– Recurrence of symptoms of disease
after apparent recovery
remission
• re• -mission: to send
• To send back
– Disappearance of symptoms of disease
– May be spontaneous or the result of
treatment
recombinant DNA
• Recombining…
– Inserting a gene from one organism into the DNA
of another organism
– Used in genetic engineering
retroperitoneal
•
•
•
•
retroperitone/o
-al
Pertaining to behind the peritoneum
retroflexion
•
•
•
•
retroflex/o
-ion
Process of bending backward
– An abnormal position of an organ in
which the organ is tilted back acutely,
folded over on itself
subcutaneous
•
•
•
•
sub-: under
cutane/o
-ous
Pertaining to under the skin
suprapubic
•
•
•
•
supra-: above, upper
Pub/o
-ic
Pertaining to above the pubic bone
syndactyly
•
•
•
•
syn-: together, with
dactyl/o: fingers, toes
y
Condition of fingers or toes together
– Condition of webbed fingers or toes
– A congenital anomaly
synthesis
•
•
•
•
synthe/o: to put
-sis
condition of putting together
syndrome
• syn• -drome
• To run together
– A group of symptoms that run (occur) together to
present a clinical disease
symbiosis
•
•
•
•
sym-: together, with
bi/o
-sis
Condition of life together
– Two organisms living together for
mutual benefit or not (parasitism)
– Example: The bacteria that live normally
in the digestive tract of humans
symmetry
• sym• metry
• measurement together
– Equality of parts on opposite sides of the body
symphysis
• sym• -physis: to grow
• To grow together
– Bones that grow together at the joint
tachypnea
• tachy-: fast
• -pnea
• Fast (Rapid) breathing
transfusion
• trans-: across, through
• -fusion: to pour
• To pour across
Transurethral
• trans-
• urethr/o
• -al
• Pertaining to through the urethra
ultrasonography
•
•
•
•
ultra-: beyond, excess
son/o: sound
-graphy
Process of recording sound beyond
(the normal range)
– To view deep structures of the body
unilateral
•
•
•
•
uni-: one
later/o
-al
Pertaining to one side
The End!