Common medical prefixes and suffixes
Common medical prefixes and suffixes
- A-, an-: without, lack of
- -ation: a process
- Brady-: slow
- Dys-: painful or abnormal
- -ectomy: surgical removal
- Hemi-: half
- Hetero-: different
- Homo-: same
- -ismus: presence of a spasm or contraction
- -itis: inflammation
- -lysis: decomposition
- Macro-: large
- Melan/o-: dark in colour
- Micro-: small
- -ology: study of a certain field
- -osis: indicates the presence of an abnormality
- -otomy: to cut
- -pathy: disease or disease process
- -plasty: surgical repair
- Poly-: many
- Pseudo-: false or deceptive
- Retro-: behind or backward
- Cardi/o-: related to heart
- Derm/a/o, dermat/o-: related to skin
- Encephal/o-: related to brain
- Gastr/o: related to gastrointestinal tract
- Haemat/o-: related to blood
- Hepato-: related to lungs
- My/o-: related to muscle
- Nephr-: related to kidneys
- Oste/o-: related to bone
- Pulmon/o-: related to lungs
- Resp-: related to lungs
- Rhin/o-: related to nose
- -sclerosis: hard or hardenings
- -stasis: slowing or stopping the flow of a bodily fluid
- Tachy-: fast
- Therm/o-: indicates heat
- Thyr/o-: related to thyroid gland
- Trache/o-: related to trachea.
Some more common medical prefixes and suffixes
- Andr/o-: male (e.g. androgen – male sex hormone)
- Anti-: against (e.g. anticholinergic drugs – drugs that counteract the effects of acetylcholine)
- Auto-: self (e.g. autocrine – a substance acting on the same cell that produces it)
- Bio-: life (e.g. biology – the study of living organisms)
- Chem/o-: chemistry (e.g. chemotherapy – treatment using chemical agents)
- Cerebro-: related to brain
- Contra-: against (e.g. contraception – prevention of pregnancy)
- Cyt/o-: cell (e.g. cytokine – a signalling molecule produced by cells)
- Dis-: separation or taking apart (e.g. dissection – cutting apart of tissue)
- Eu-: good or well (e.g. euvolaemic)
- Fibr/o-: fibre (e.g. fibrosis – excessive fibrous tissue formation)
- Gluco- or glyco-: glucose or sugar (e.g. glycogen – stored form of glucose)
- Gyn/o- or gynaec-: Female (e.g. gynaecology – study of female reproductive system)
- Hydr/o-: water (e.g. hydrocephalus – accumulation of fluid in the brain)
- Hyper-: more of (e.g. hypertension)
- Hypo-: less of (e.g. hypovolaemia)
- Idio-: self or one’s own (e.g. idiopathic – of unknown cause)
- Lyso- or lys-: Break down, destruction, or dissolving (e.g. lysosome – cellular organelle that breaks down waste).
- Mal-: bad or abnormal (e.g. malignant)
- Myc/o-: fungus (e.g. mycetoma – fungal infection)
- Necr/o-: death (e.g. necrosis – tissue death)
- Neo-: new (e.g. neonate – newborn)
- Oxy-: sharp, acute, or related to oxygen (e.g. oxytocin – hormone involved in labour and milk release)
- Pan- or pant/o-: all or everywhere (e.g. pancytopenia – deficiency of all blood cell types)
- Pharmaco-: drug or medicine (e.g. pharmacist – a professional who dispenses medications)
- Psych:- related to mind
- Re-: again or backward (e.g. rejuvenation – restoration of youthfulness)
- Somat/o-: body or bodily (e.g. somatic cell – any cell except reproductive cells).
