Medical Terminology Word Roots PrefixesSuffixesAbbreviations

WORD ROOTS (a-c) aden:gland aden:gland arter/io:artery arter/io:artery arthro:joint arthro:joint bio:life bio:life bronch:bronchial tube bronch:bronchial tube carcin:cancer carcin:cancer cardio:heart cardio:heart cephal:head cephal:head cerebr/o:brain cerebr/o:brain chem:drug chem:drug chole:gall, bile chole:gall, bile cost/o:ribs cost/o:ribs cysto:bladder, sac cysto:bladder, sac cyt/e:cell cyt/e:cell

WORD ROOTS (d-m) derm/a:skin derm/a:skin enter/o:intestine enter/o:intestine erythro:red erythro:red gastr/o:stomach gastr/o:stomach gingiv/a:gum gingiv/a:gum gloss:tongue gloss:tongue hepat:liver hepat:liver hemo:blood hemo:blood hydro:water hydro:water hyster/o:uterus hyster/o:uterus lingua:tongue lingua:tongue mamm, mast:breast mamm, mast:breast myo:muscle myo:muscle

WORD ROOTS (n-t) last group nephro, ren:kidney nephro, ren:kidney neuro:nerve neuro:nerve ocul,opthalm:eye ocul,opthalm:eye odont, dent:tooth odont, dent:tooth oophor:ovary oophor:ovary osteo:bone osteo:bone oto:ear oto:ear pneumo:lung pneumo:lung psych:mind, soul psych:mind, soul rhin:nose rhin:nose splen:spleen splen:spleen thorac:thorax, chest thorac:thorax, chest trach:trachea trach:trachea

PREFIXES (a-e) a,an:without a,an:without anti:against anti:against aut/o:self aut/o:self bi:both, two bi:both, two brady:slow brady:slow contra:against contra:against dys: painful, difficult dys: painful, difficult ecto:outside ecto:outside end/o:inside end/o:inside epi: upper, above epi: upper, above ex:out, from ex:out, from

PREFIXES (h-n) hemi:half hemi:half hyper:excessive, above, more than hyper:excessive, above, more than hypo:deficient, below, less than hypo:deficient, below, less than inter:between inter:between intra:inside, within intra:inside, within leuk/o:white leuk/o:white micro:small micro:small neo:new neo:new

PREFIXES (p-t) last group peri:around peri:around poly:many, much poly:many, much post:behind, after post:behind, after pre: before, in front of pre: before, in front of pro:forward pro:forward semi:half semi:half sub:below sub:below tachy:fast tachy:fast tele:distant, far tele:distant, far

SUFFIXES (a-g) alagia:pain alagia:pain centesis:surgical puncture centesis:surgical puncture ectomy:surgical removal ectomy:surgical removal emesis:vomit emesis:vomit emia:blood emia:blood genic:orgin, source genic:orgin, source gram, graph:pictures, record gram, graph:pictures, record

SUFFIXES (i-o) ic:pertaining to ic:pertaining to itis: inflammation itis: inflammation lysis:destruction lysis:destruction malacia:softening malacia:softening megaly:enlarged megaly:enlarged ologist:specialist ologist:specialist ology:study of ology:study of oma:tumor oma:tumor orrhagia: hemorrhage orrhagia: hemorrhage orrhea:flow orrhea:flow osis:condition of osis:condition of ostomy: surgical opening ostomy: surgical opening otomy:cut into otomy:cut into

SUFFIXES (p-u) last group pathy:disease pathy:disease penia:deficiency penia:deficiency phobia:fear phobia:fear plasty: surgical repair plasty: surgical repair ptosis: drooping down ptosis: drooping down sclerosis:hardening sclerosis:hardening scope:picture, inspection scope:picture, inspection spasm:contraction spasm:contraction stasis:stoppage stasis:stoppage uria:urine uria:urine

ABBREVIATIONS stat stat VS VS Rx Rx PRN, prn PRN, prn Hs/hs Hs/hs NPO NPO po po bid bid q2h q2h amb amb mg mg mL mL L cc cc tsp tsp tbsp/T tbsp/T qs qs EKG EKG DC or D/C DC or D/C EEG EEG DNR DNR