CHAPTER 3
Suffixes
Suffixes
• Remember
– Meaning of suffix does not change
– Suffix does change meaning of the word
• Every medical word has an ending
– Either a suffix or a complete word
• Suffixes make a word a noun or an
adjective
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Suffixes: Rule
• When suffix begins with a consonant
– Combining vowel is needed to attach suffix
to word root
• Example: cephalodynia
– Breakdown of word: cephal / o / dynia
– Root = cephal
– Combining vowel = o (is needed)
– Suffix = dynia (begins with consonant)
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Suffixes: Rule
• When suffix begins with a vowel
– Combining vowel is not needed to attach
suffix to word root
• Example word: cephalalgia
– Breakdown of word: cephal / algia
– Root = cephal
– Combining form = (not needed)
– Suffix = algia (begins with a vowel)
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Suffixes: Rule
• Remember
• When defining a medical term
– Define suffix first
– Define prefix second
– Define word root(s) last
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Suffixes
• Suffixes indicate specialties and/or
specialists
– May be specialist in a field of study
– May be one who specializes in the study of
– May be one who treats
• Suffixes indicate instruments
– May be an instrument used to view
– May be an instrument used to measure
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Suffixes
• Suffixes indicate surgical and diagnostic
procedures
– May be surgical puncture
– May be process of recording
– May be process of viewing with a scope
– May be incision into
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Forming Plurals
• When singular form ends in ‘a’
– Change the ‘a’ to ‘ae’
• When singular form ends in ‘ax’
– Change the ‘ax’ to ‘aces’
• When singular form ends in ‘is’
– Change the ‘is’ to ‘es’
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Forming Plurals
• When singular form ends in ‘ix’, ‘ex’, or
‘yx’
– Change the ‘ix’, ‘ex’, or ‘yx’ to ‘ices’
• When singular form ends in ‘on’
– Change the ‘on’ to ‘a’
• When the singular form ends in ‘um’
– Change the ‘um’ to ‘a’
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Forming Plurals
• When the singular form ends in ‘us’
– Change the ‘us’ to ‘i’
• When the singular form ends in ‘ma’
– Change the ‘ma’ to ‘mata’
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Let’s Play Suffix Bingo
• Use your blank bingo card with ‘free space’
– Fill in each blank with a different suffix
– Instructor will call out definitions
– You will cross box with an ‘x’ if you have the
suffix
• You can bingo vertically, horizontally,
diagonally, or all four corners
– To win, you must have correct suffixes and be
able to define each suffix
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