Medical Terminology
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This is a complete medical terminology list of prefixes, roots, and suffixes, organized by type. Learn all the common medical word parts used to build and decode medical terms, with the meaning and origin of each. Tap any word part to see its full explanation, examples, and related parts.
Prefixes
- a- without, absence of
- an- without, not
- anti- against
- brady- slow
- contra- against or opposite
- dys- difficult, painful, abnormal
- dys-2 bad, difficult
- endo- within, inside
- epi- upon, above, over
- hyper- excessive, above normal
- hypo- deficient, below normal
- inter- between
- intra- within
- multi- many or much
- neo- new
- oligo- few, scanty
- pan- all, entire
- peri- around, surrounding
- poly- many, much
- primi- first
- sub- under, below
- tachy- fast, rapid
- trans- across, through
Roots
- angi/o vessel
- arthr/o joint
- atri/o atrium (upper heart chamber)
- audi/o hearing
- blephar/o eyelid
- bronch/o bronchus (airway)
- cardi/o heart
- cephal/o head
- cerebr/o the brain (cerebrum)
- cheil/o lip
- chol/e bile, gall
- chondr/o cartilage
- col/o colon (large intestine)
- coron/o heart, or crown
- cyst/o urinary bladder, or a fluid-filled sac
- cyt/o cell
- derm/o skin
- encephal/o brain
- enter/o intestines, especially the small intestine
- erythr/o red
- gastr/o stomach
- hem/o blood
- hemat/o blood
- hepat/o liver
- hist/o tissue
- hyster/o uterus
- laryng/o larynx (voice box)
- leuk/o white
- metr/o uterus
- my/o muscle
- myel/o bone marrow or spinal cord
- nas/o nose
- nephr/o kidney
- neur/o nerve
- ocul/o eye
- onych/o nail
- oophor/o ovary
- ophthalm/o eye
- opt/o vision or eye
- oste/o bone
- ot/o ear
- phleb/o vein
- pleur/o pleura (lining around the lungs)
- pneum/o lung, air
- pod/o foot
- proct/o anus and rectum
- pulmon/o lung
- pyel/o renal pelvis
- ren/o kidney
- rhin/o nose
- salping/o fallopian tube or eustachian tube
- spir/o breathing
- splen/o spleen
- spondyl/o vertebra or spinal column
- thromb/o clot
- ur/o urine, urinary tract
- ureter/o ureter
- urethr/o urethra
- valvul/o valve
- vas/o vessel, duct
- ventricul/o ventricle (lower heart chamber or brain cavity)
- vesic/o urinary bladder
Suffixes
- -algia pain
- -clysis irrigation or washing
- -cyte cell
- -dynia pain
- -ectasis expansion or dilation
- -ectomy surgical removal, excision
- -emia blood condition
- -genic producing, causing
- -gram record, image
- -graphy process of recording
- -ian a specialist or one who practices
- -iasis abnormal condition or formation
- -iatry medical treatment or healing
- -itis inflammation
- -malacia softening
- -megaly enlargement
- -ologist specialist in the study of
- -ology study of
- -oma tumor, mass
- -osis abnormal condition
- -ostomy creating an opening
- -otomy incision, cutting into
- -paresis partial paralysis or slight weakness
- -pathy disease
- -penia deficiency
- -phagia eating, swallowing
- -plasia formation or development
- -plasty surgical repair
- -plegia paralysis
- -pnea breathing
- -ptosis drooping or downward displacement
- -ptysis spitting or coughing up
- -rrhage bursting forth, bleeding
- -rrhea flow, discharge
- -sclerosis hardening
- -scope instrument for viewing
- -scopy visual examination
- -stasis stopping or controlling; standing still
- -tripsy crushing or breaking
- -uria a condition of the urine