Medical Terminology: A Comprehensive Guide to Prefixes, Suffixes, and Root Words

Posted on May 6, 2024 in Biology

Medical Terminology: Prefixes, Suffixes, and Root Words

Understanding the Building Blocks of Medical Language

Medical terminology can seem daunting, but it’s built upon a foundation of prefixes, suffixes, and root words. By understanding these components, you can decipher the meaning of complex medical terms and improve your communication in healthcare settings.

Common Prefixes

Prefixes are added to the beginning of a root word to modify its meaning. Here are some common prefixes and their meanings:

  • AB (Latin): distance, away from (e.g., abduction, abnormal)
  • ACRO (Greek): extremity, topmost (e.g., acromegaly, acrophobia)
  • AD (Latin): toward, near (e.g., adduction, adhesion)
  • ANTE (Latin): before, in front of (e.g., antenatal, antepartum)
  • ENDO (Greek): within, inner (e.g., endocardium, endocrine)
  • EPI (Greek): upon, above (e.g., epidermis, epicenter)

Common Suffixes

Suffixes are added to the end of a root word to indicate its part of speech or to modify its meaning. Here are some common suffixes and their meanings:

  • -algia: pain (e.g., neuralgia, myalgia)
  • -ectomy: surgical removal (e.g., appendectomy, hysterectomy)
  • -itis: inflammation (e.g., arthritis, gastritis)
  • -logy: study of (e.g., cardiology, neurology)
  • -oma: tumor (e.g., carcinoma, lymphoma)
  • -osis: condition, disease (e.g., osteoporosis, psychosis)

Root Words

Root words provide the core meaning of a medical term. Many root words are derived from Greek or Latin. Here are some examples:

  • Cardio: heart
  • Derma: skin
  • Gastro: stomach
  • Neuro: nerve
  • Osteo: bone
  • Pneumo: lung

Examples of Medical Terms

Here are some examples of how prefixes, suffixes, and root words combine to form medical terms:

  • Bradycardia: slow heart rate (brady- + cardio- + -ia)
  • Hypodermic: pertaining to beneath the skin (hypo- + derma- + -ic)
  • Nephrology: study of the kidneys (nephro- + -logy)
  • Osteoporosis: porous bone condition (osteo- + -porosis)

Periodic Table Elements and Their Etymology

The document also includes a section on the etymology of some chemical elements in the periodic table. This information can be helpful for understanding the origin and meaning of element names.

By learning the basic building blocks of medical terminology, you can gain a deeper understanding of medical language and improve your communication in healthcare settings.