Medical terms are comprised of
prefixes,
suffixes, combining vowels, and
roots. To understand any medical term you have to be able to understand the meaning of each part.
Meaning Word part(s)
abdomen abdomin/o, lapar/o
abnormal dys-
abnormal condition -osis
above epi-, hyper-
across trans-
adrenal gland adren/o
after post-
against anti-
air pneum/o
air sac alveol/o
along the side of para-
alveolus alveoli/o
amnion amni/o
anus an/o
anus and rectum proct/o
apart ana-
appendix append/o, appendic/o
armpit axill/o
artery arteri/o
attraction to -philia
away from ab-
backbone spin/o, spondyl/o, vertebr/o
bacteria (berry-shaped) -coccus
bad dys-, mal-
before ante-, pre-, pro-, pros-
behind post-, re-, retro-
below hypo-, sub-
beside para-
between inter-
beyond meta-, ultra-
birth nat/I, -partum
bladder (urinary) cyst/o, vesic/o
blood hem/o, hemat/o
blood condition -emia
blood vessel angi/o, vas/o, vascul/o
body -somatic
bone oste/o
bone marrow myel/o
brain encephal/o
breakdown -lysis, lys/o
breast mamm/o, mast/o
breast bone stern/o
breathing -pnea
bronchial tube bronch/o
bronchiole bronchiol/o
bursting forth of blood -rrhage, -rrhagia
calcaneus calcancane/o
cancer/cancerous carcin/o
capillary capillar/o
care for (to) comi/o
carpals carp/o
cartilage chondr/o
cell -cyte, cyt/o
cerebellum cerebell/o
cerebrum cerebr/o
change meta-
chemical chem./o
chest thora/o
child ped/o
clavicle/collarbone clavicul/o
clot thromb/o
cold cry/o
colon col/o, colon/o
common bile duct choledoch/o
complete dia-
condition -ation, -ia, -osis, -y
constriction -spasm
control -stasis, -stat
cut -cision, cis/o, -secton, -tomy
death -mortem, necr/o
deficient hypo-
destroy lys/o, -lysis
development troph/o, -trophy
diaphragm phren/o
difficult dys-
discharge -rrhea
disease path/o, -pathy, nos/o
drug chem./o
dura matter dur/o
dust coni/o
dust condition -coniosis
ear ot/o
eardrum miring/o, tympan/o
electricity electr/o
endocrine gland endocrin/o
endometrium endometr/o
enlargement -megaly
epiglottis epiglott/o
esophagus esophag/o
eustachian tube salping/o
excessive hyper-
eye ocul/o, ophtalm/o, opt/o
fallopian tube salping/o, -salpinx
fast tachy-
female gynec/o
femur femor/o
fibula fibul/o, perone/o
fixation (surgical) -pexy
flesh sarc/o
flow -rrhea
fluid rheumat/o
foot bones metatars/o
formation plas/o, -plasm, -poisesis, -genesis
forward ante-, pro-, pros-
gallbladder cholecyst/o
gland aden/o
groin inguin/o
growth plas/o, -plasm
hand bones metacarp/o
hardening -sclerosis
head cephal/o
heart cardi/o, caron/o
heel bone calcane/o
hernia -cele
hip bone pelv/o
hold back ish/o
humerus humer/o
ileum ile/o
ilium ili/o
in, into in-, en-
incision -tomy, -section
infection sept/o, septic/o
inflammation -itis
inner endo-
instrument to record -graph
instrument to view -scope
intestines (small) enter/o
joint arthr/o
kidney nephr/o, ren/o
kidney (central section) pyel/o
knowledge gnos/o
larynx laryng/o
life bi/o
liver hepat/o
loin lumb/o
lung pneum/o, pneumon/o, pulmon/o
lymph lymph/o
lymph node lymphaden/o
lymph vessel lymphangi/o
mass -oma
measure metr/o, -meter, -metry
mediastinum mediastin/o
medulla oblongata medull/o
meninges mening/o
menstration men/o
metacarpals metacarp/o
metatarsals mtatars/o
midwife obstetr/o
mind psych/o
mouth or/o, stomat/o
movement -motor
muscle muscul/o, myos/o, my/o
near para-
neck cervic/o
nerve neur/o
new neo-
nipple theli/o
no, not a-, an-
nose nos/o, rhin/o
nourishment troph/o, -trophy
old age ger/o
one uni-
opening -stomy
out, outside ec-, ecto-, ex-, extra-
ovary oophor/o, ovari/o
pain -algia
painful dys-
pancreas pancreat/o
paralysis -plegia
pelvis pelv/o
pelvis (renal) pyel/o
penis balan/o
peritoneum peritone/o
pertaining to -ac, -al, -an, -ar, -ary, -eal, -ic, -ine, -ior, -ous, -tic
phalanges phalang/o
pharynx pharyng/o
pituitary gland hypophys/o
place top/o, -stasis
pleura pleur/o
pressure -tension
process -ation, -ism, -y
process of cutting -cision, -tomy, -section
process of recording -graphy
process of viewing -opsy, -scopy
produce -gen, gen/o
produced by -genic
producing -genic, -genesis
prolapse -ptosis
prostate gland prosts/o
puncture to remove fluid -entesis
put, place top/o, -thesis
radius (lower arm bone) radi/o
record -gram
recording -graphy
rectum rect/o
red erythr/o
repair -plasty
retina retin/o
rib cost/o
sacrum sacr/o
sagging -ptosis
scapula scapul/o
scrotum scrot/o
secrete, secretion -crine, crin/o
sensation esthesi/o
separation -crit, -lusis
shin bone tibi/o
shoulder bone scapula/o
side later/o
skin cutane/o, derm/o, epitheli/o
skull crani/o
slip (to) -listhesis
slow brady-
small artery arteri/o
small intestine enter/o
sound son/o
specialist -ist
spinal cord myel/o
spine spin/o
spitting -ptysis
speen spleen/o
stand -stasis
sternum stern/o
stomach gastr/o
stone lith/o, -lith
stop -stasis, -stat
straight orth/o
structure -um
study of -logy
sugar glyc/o
surgical puncture to remove fluid -centesis
surgical repair -plasty
surrounding prei-
swelling -oma
tailbone coccyg/o
testicle, testis orch/o, orchi/o, orchid/o
thigh bone femor/o
throat pharyng/o
three tri-
through dia-, per-, trans-
thymus gland thym/o
thyroid gland thyr/o, thyroid/o
tibia tibi/o
time chron/o
together con-, syn-
tonsil tonsil/o
trachea trache/o
treatment iatr/o, -therapy
tumor onc/o, -oma
two bi-
under hypo-, sub-
up ana-
upon epi-
ureter ureter/o
urethra urethr/o
urinary bladder cyst/o, vesic/o
urinary tract, urine ur/o
urine condition -uria
uterine tube salping/o
uterus hyster/o, metr/o, uter/o
uturus (inner lining) endometr/o, endometri/o
vagina colp/o, vagin/o
vas deferens vas/o
vein phelp/o, ven/o
vertebra spin/o, spondyl/o, vertebr/o
vessel angi/o, vas/o, vascul/o
view -opsy
visual examination -scopy
voice box laryng/o
waist region lumb/o
white leuk/o
windpipe trache/o
with con-, syn-
within en-, endo-, intra-
woman gynec/o
wrist bones carp/o
x-ray radi/o