Common Medical Prefixes Quiz

Common Medical Prefixes

• A-: Indicates absence; used in terms like Apathy (lack of feeling), Apnea (without breath), and Aphasia (without speech).
• An-: Signifies lack or absence, as seen in Anemia (lack of blood).
• Ante-: Means before or in front of; example: Antecubital (before elbow).
• Anti-: Denotes opposition; depicted in Antisepsis (against infection).
• Auto-: Indicates self; used in Autoimmune (self-directed immune response).
• Brady-: Refers to slow; exemplified by Bradycardia (slow heart rate).
• Dys-: Implies pain or difficulty; seen in Dyspepsia (bad digestion) and Dyspnea (difficult breathing).
• Endo-: Means within or inner; found in Endocardium (within heart) and Endometrium (within uterus).
• Epi-: Signifies upon or over; used in Epidural (upon dura) and Epidermis (on skin).
• Eu-: Implies normal or good; illustrated by Eupnoea (normal breathing) and Eupepsia (good digestion).
• Hetero-: Indicates different; example: Heterotopia (abnormal organ position).
• Homo-: Means same; as seen in Homogeneous (having uniform properties).
• Hyper-: Suggests excessive; shown in Hyperemia (excessive blood) and Hypertrophy (overgrowth).
• Hypo-: Means under or below; seen in Hypotension (low blood pressure) and Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).
• Infra-: Indicates beneath or below; found in Infraorbital (below eye).
• Inter-: Signifies among or between; as in Intercostal (between ribs).
• Intra-: Means within or inside; exemplified by Intracerebral (within cerebrum).
• Macro-: Indicates large; used in Macroscopic (visible to the naked eye).
• Micro-: Implies small; as seen in Microbiology (study of microscopic organisms).
• Neo-: Signifies new; illustrated by Neoplasm (new growth, tumor).
• Pan-: Means all; depicted in Pandemic (widespread illness).
• Para-: Indicates beside or beyond; seen in Paracardiac (beside the heart).
• Per-: Suggests through; as in Permeate (pass through).
• Peri-: Means around; visible in Periosteum (around bone).
• Post-: Denotes after; as in Postoperative (after an operation).
• Pre-: Indicates before; illustrated by Premaxillary (in front of maxilla).
• Retro-: Signifies backward or behind; depicted in Retrocervical (behind cervix).
• Sub-: Means below or under; seen in Subcutaneous (under skin).
• Super-: Indicates above or excess; as in Superficial (close to surface).
• Supra-: Means above; shown in Suprarenal (above kidney).
• Tachy-: Denotes fast; illustrated by Tachycardia (rapid heartbeat).
• Trans-: Signifies through or across; found in Transection (cut across).
• Ultra-: Indicates beyond or excess; as in Ultraviolet (beyond violet spectrum).

Number Prefixes

• Bi-: Two; seen in bilingual (speaking two languages).
• Di-: Two; example: dichotomy (division into two parts).
• Hemi-: Half; illustrated by hemisphere (half a sphere).
• Mono-: One; indicated in monologue (speech by one person).
• Multi-: Many; depicted in multimedia (varied media).
• Poly-: Many; as in polyunsaturated (having multiple unsaturated bonds).
• Quad-: Four; seen in quadruple (fourfold).
• Semi-: Partial or half; illustrated by semicircle (half a circle).
• Tri-: Three; indicated in triangle (three-sided figure).
• Uni-: One; as in unicycle (one-wheeled vehicle).
• Nulli-: None; depicted in nullification (cancellation or voiding).