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5-3EM37 AID: 284212 | 14/09/2020

The importance of suffix

A suffix which is also known as postfix is actually an affix which is placed after the
word root in a medical term. When suffixes are added to the end of medical words, it
dramatically changes or adds to the original meaning. In medical field, suffixes usually
imply a medical condition or a surgical procedure or a diagnostic term or some test
information or a disease, or part of the speech. Some suffixes also represent medical
practices or practitioners.

Suffixes and its definition

 ectomy – removal. The surgical removal of a particular part of a body is called as
--ectomy. The suffix -ectomy is used to indicate removal of something. It comes from the
Greek word origin ‘ektome’ meaning ‘ek’ ‘out’+ ‘temnein’ ‘to cut’. For example
tonsillectomy is the excision or cutting out of tonsils surgically.