MEDICAL TERMS

Root words
Brachi/o – Arm

Cardi/o – Heart

Cyt/o – Cell

Derm/a, derm/o, dermat/o – Skin

Encephal/o – Brain

Gastr/o – Stomach

Hemat/o – Blood
Hist/o, histi/o – Tissue

Intestin/o – Intestine

Lapar/o – Abdomen, loin or flank

My/o – Muscle
Neur/o – Nerve

Ocul/o – Eye

Ophthalm/o – Eyes

Or/o – Mouth

Ot/o – Ear

Pulmon/o – Lungs
Mono/uni – One
Bi – Two
Tri – Three
Ab – Away from
Ad – Toward
Ecto/exo – Outside
Endo – Inside
Epi – Upon
 SUFFIX
Pain terms end with
 -algia.

Blood terms end in 

-emia.

Inflammation is
 -itis.
A breaking down is 
-lysis.

Relating to disease is 

-opathy.

Breathing terms end with 

-pnea.
 SUFFIX
• -al (pertaining to)
• -eal
• -ic
• -ous
• -ive
• -ary
• -ose
• -blast (immature cell)
• -cyte (mature cell/cell)
• -gram (record)
• -graph (instrument used to record)
• -graphy (process of recording)
• -scope (instrument used to see)
• -scopy (process of visual examination/ process
of viewing/process of seeing)
• -meter (instrument used to measure)
• -metry (process of measuring)
• -logy (study of)
• -ist (a specialist)
• -itis (inflammation)
• -ole (small)
• -ule (small)
• -poiesis (formation of)
• -lysis (breakdown)
• -stasis (to stop)
• -phagia (swallowing)
• -phasia (speaking)
• -pnea (breathing)
• -pepsia (digestion)
• -algia (pain)
• -dynia (pain)
• -emasis (vomiting)
• -emia (blood condition)
• -form (resembling)
• -rrhea (discharge)
• -ia (condition of)
• -ism (condition of)
• -iasis (formation of)
• -megaly (enlargement)
• -osis (condition of)
• -oma (tumor)
• -plasty (surgical repair)
• -penia (abnormal reduction)
 PREFIX
• A- (no, not, without, absence of)
• An-
• Ab- (away from)
• Ad- (towards)
• Contra- (against)
• Hyper- (excessive)
• Hypo- (less or deficient)
• Ante- (before)
• Anti- (against)
• Dys- (difficulty)
• Pre- (before)
• Post- (after)
• Leuko- (white)
• Erythro- (red)
• Melano- (black)
• Cyano-(blue)
• Xantho- (Yellow)
• Tetra- (four)
• Poly- (many)
• Hemi- (half)
• Quadri- (four)
• Semi- (half)
• Nocto- (night time)
• Pachy- (thick)
• Tachy (fast/rapid)
• Brady- (slow)
• Ortho- (straight)
• Sub- (below/under)
• En- (inside)
• Intra- (inside)
• Inter- (in between)
• Mal- (bad)
• Epi- (above)
• Supra- (above)
• Intra- (below)
• Deci- (1/10th)
• Centi- (1/100th)
• Milli- (1/1000th)
• Pan- (all)
THE END