Suffixes – exercises

SURGICAL SUFFIXES

1. Use the following suffixes to complete the words (some suffixes are used more than once):

- centesis, -clasis, -desis, -ectomy, -plasty, rrhaphy, - stomy, -tome, -tomy, -tripsy

a) crushing of a stone – lith/o/_________________________

b) puncture of a joint – arthr/o/________________________

c) excision of a gland – aden/_________________________

d) instrument to cut nerves – neur/o/___________________

e) excision of a breast – mast/_________________________

f) incision of a trachea – trache/o/______________________

g) surgical repair of the nose – rhin/o/___________________

h) fixation or binding of a joint – arthr/o/_________________

i) surgically fracturing a bone – oste/o/__________________

j) suturing a muscle – my/o/___________________________

k) forming an opening into the colon – col/o/_____________

2. Build a medical term that means the following:

a) incision to remove a stone ____________________________________________________

b) forming an opening into the trachea ____________________________________________
c) instrument to cut bone _______________________________________________________

DIAGNOSTIC SUFFIXES

3. Complete the words with the appropriate suffix:

a) audio______________ - measuring a person's ability to hear different sounds, pitches, etc.

b) endo______________ - optical instrument used for examining an inner part of the body.
c) thoraco_____________ - visual examination of the pleural cavity.
d) cardio______________ - an instrument that graphically registers the heart rate.
PATHOLOGICAL AND RELATED SUFFIXES

4. Complete the words with the appropriate suffix:

-algia, -ectasis, - emia, -gen, - malacia, -oma, -osis

a) dilation of a blood vessel – angi/______________________________

b) pain (along the course) of a nerve – neur/______________________
c) abnormal condition of the skin - dermat/ ______________________
d) an agent that tends to produce cancer – carcin/o________________
e) softening of the bones – oste/o/_____________________________
f) blood cancer caused by a rise in the number of white blood cells in
your body – leuk/_______________________________
g) tumor of the liver – hepat/__________________________________

5. Give the meaning of the suffix in the following definitions:

abnormal flow, decrease, development, swallowing or painful eating, disease, hardening, paralysis,
rupture

a) cardiomyopathy - __________________ of the heart muscle

b) leukopenia - _______________________ in the number of white blood cells

c) paraplegia - ___________________ of the lower half of the body

d) dysphagia – difficulty in _______________________________________

e) bronchorrhagia - ____________________ of blood from the bronchial tubes

f) cardiorrhexis - ________________________ of the heart

g) myelosclerosis - ______________________of the bone marrow

h) hypertrophy - __________________ of an organ or tissue from the increase in size of its cells

ADJECTIVE, NOUN, AND DIMINUTIVE SUFFIXES

6. Use the adjecive suffixes in the following list to create a medical word (some suffixes are used
more than once):

-ac, -al, - ary, -ic, -ous, -tic

a) thorac/____ - pertaining to the chest

b) gastr/____ - pertaining to the stomach
c) acous/____ - pertaining to hearing
 d) cardi/____ - pertaining to the heart
e) spin/_____ - pertaining to the spine
f) membran/____ - pertaining to a membrane
g) pulmon/____ - pertaining to the lungs

7. Use the noun suffixes in the following list to create a medical word: - ia, -ist, -ism, - ician

a) intern/_______ - specialist in internal medicine

b) pneumon/______ - an inflammatory condition of the lung
c) dwarf/_____ - a condition that causes a person to stop growing before reaching normal adult size
d) pediatr/______ - a physician who specializes in the development and care of infants and children

8. Use the diminutive suffxes in the following list to create a medical word: -icle, -ole, -ule

a) arteri/____ - minute artery

b) ventr/____ - small cavity
c) ven/____ - small vein