A | B |
ab- | away; from - abduct (movement of a limb away from the body) |
ad- | toward; to - adduction (movement of a limb towards the body) |
aden/o | gland - adenoids |
adip/o | fat; lipid (also lip/o) - adipose (fatty tissue) |
-algia | pain (also -dynia) myalgia (muscle pain) |
angi/o | vessel (also vas/o) angiogram (radiographic technique to visualize the vessels) |
anti- | against (also contra-) antibiotic ( a drug that fights microscopic pathogens) anti-inflammatory (something that reduces inflammation) |
a- ; an- | no; none - anuria (no urine output) |
brachi/o | upper arm - brachial pulse |
brady- | slow - bradycardia (slow heart rate) |
carcin/o | cancer - carcinogen (a substance that causes cancer) |
cardi/o | heart - cardiovascular (pertaining to the heart and vessels) |
chem/o | chemical; drug - chemotherapy |
contra- | against (also anti-) contraindicated (not advisable) |
crain/o | skull - cranium |
cutane/o | skin (also cuti) - subcutaneous (under the skin) |
cyan/o | blue - cyanosis (lack of oxygen casues purple/blue color in tissues) |
dis- | remove; absence - disinfect (remove pathogens) |
-emesis | vomiting - antiemetic (drug that reduces the likelihood of vomiting) |
-emia | blood or blood condition - anemia (reduced hemoglogin or blood) |
encephal/o | brain - encephalitis (an inflammation of the brain) |
endo- | in; within (also en-, ento-) - endocarditis (inflammation of the innermost layer of the heart) |
gastr/o | stomach - gastrointestinal (referring to stomach and intestines) |
hem/o | blood (also hem/o) hemoglobin (blood protein that carries oxygen) |
hemat/o | blood (also hem/o) - hematoma (blood clot) |
hemi- | half - hemiplegia (paralysis of half of the body) |
hepat/o | liver - hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) |
hyper- | over; abnormally high - hypertension (abnormally increased blood pressure) |
hypo- | under; abnormally low - hypothermia ( abnormally low body temperature) |
idi/o | unknown - idipathic (disease of unknown origin) |
inter- | between - intercostal (between the ribs) |
intra- | within - intramuscular (within the muscle) intravenous (within a vein) |
-itis | inflammation - pharyngitis (inflammation of the pharynx) |
leuk/o | white (also alb/o) - leukocyte ( white blood cell) |
-ology | study of - cardiology (medical specialty relating to the study of the heart) |
mast/o | breast - mastectomy (surgical removal of a breast) |
mega- | huge; enlarged - megadose (large dose) |
mening/o | meninges - meningitis (inflammation fo the membrane covering the brain) |
my/o | muscle - myocardial (the muscle of the heart) |
neur/o | nerve - neurology ( the study of the nervous system) |
-oma | tumor (also onc/o) - carcinoma ( a type of cancer) |
ot/o | ear - otitis (inflammation of the ear) |
path/o | disease - pathogen ( an organism that causes disease) |
-pathy | disease - cardimyopathy ( a disease of the muscle of the heart) |
ped | child - pediatrics ( medical specialty that deals with children) |
peri- | around - pericardium (the membrance that surrounds the heart) |
pharyng/o | pharynx - pharyngitis (inflammation of the pharynx) |
phasia | speech - aphasia (inability to speak) |
phleb/o | vein - phlebitis (inflammation of a vein) |
-phobia | abnormal fear - arachnophobia (fear of spiders) |
-plegia | paralysis - quadriplegia (paralysis of all four limbs) |
pleur/o | pleura - pleuritis (inflammation of the lining of the lungs) |
-pena | breathe; air - apnea ( inability to breath) |
pneum/o | lung; breathe; air (also pneumon/o, pulmon/o) - pneumonia (infection of the lungs) |
post- | after; behind - posterior (back) |
pre- | before; forward - prehospital care |
primi- | first (also prot/o) - primigravida ( a woman in her first pregnancy) |
psych/o | mind - psychogenic (originating in the mind rather that the body) |
-ptysis | spitting - hemoptysis (spitting up blood) |
pulmon/o | lung; air; breathe (also pneum/o; pneumon/o) - pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs) |
quadri- | four - quadriplegia (paralysis of all four limbs) |
rhin/o | nose - rhinitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose) |
-rrhage | excessive or unusual discharge; profuse flow - hemmorrhage (excessive bleeding) |
-rrhea | flow - diarrhea (loose, watery stool) |
-somnia | sleep - insomnia (inability to sleep) |
son/o | sound - sonogram (diagnostic imaging test which used sound waves) |
stomat/o | mouth - stomatitis (inflammation fo the mouth) |
-stomy | surgical opening - colostomy (surgical opening in the bowel) |
sub- | under - subcutaneous (under the skin) sublingual ( under the tongue) |
tachy- | fast - tachycardia (rapid heart rate) tachypnea (rapid respiratory rate) |
therm/o | hot; temperature - hypothermia (abnormally low body temperature) |
-tomy | incision - tracheotomy (incision in the windpipe) |
trache/o | windpipe - tracheostomy (surgical opening in the windpipe) |
uni- | one (also mono-) - unilateral (pertaining to one side) |
ur/o | urine - uremia (excessive waste products in the blood) |