Medical Prefixes and Suffixes Quiz

Prefixes

• a-: without (e.g., aphasia)
• an-: without (e.g., anoxia)
• anti-: against (e.g., antibiotic)
• auto-: self (e.g., autograft)
• brady-: slow (e.g., bradycardia)
• de-: without (e.g., depigmentation)
• dys-: painful, difficult, abnormal (e.g., dysuria)

Number Prefixes

• bi-: two (e.g., bilateral)
• hemi-: half (e.g., hemiplegia)
• mono-: one (e.g., monoplegia)
• multi-: many (e.g., multigravida)
• nulli-: none (e.g., nulligravida)
• pan-: all (e.g., pansinusitis)
• poly-: many (e.g., polymyositis)
• quadri-: four (e.g., quadriplegia)
• semi-: partial (e.g., semiconscious)
• tetra-: four (e.g., tetraplegia)
• tri-: three (e.g., triceps)

Suffixes (General)

• -algia: pain (e.g., gastralgia)
• -cele: protrusion (e.g., cystocele)
• -cyte: cell (e.g., erythrocyte)
• -dynia: pain (e.g., cardiodynia)
• -ectasis: dilation (e.g., bronchiectasis)
• -gen: that which produces (e.g., pathogen)
• -genic: producing (e.g., carcinogenic)
• -iasis: abnormal condition (e.g., lithiasis)
• -ism: abnormal condition (e.g., hypothyroidism)
• -itis: inflammation (e.g., dermatitis)
• -logist: one who studies (e.g., cardiologist)
• -logy: study of (e.g., cardiology)
• -lytic: destruction (e.g., thrombolytic)
• -malacia: abnormal softening (e.g., chondromalacia)
• -megaly: enlarged, mass (e.g., cardiomegaly)
• -oma: tumor (e.g., carcinoma)
• -opsy: view of condition (e.g., biopsy)
• -osis: abnormal condition (e.g., cyanosis)
• -pathy: disease (e.g., myopathy)
• -plasm: new formation (e.g., neoplasm)
• -plegia: paralysis (e.g., paraplegia)
• -ptosis: dropping (e.g., blepharoptosis)
• -rrhage: excessive flow, abnormal flow (e.g., hemorrhage)
• -rrhagia: abnormal flow (e.g., cystorrhagia)
• -rrhea: discharge (e.g., rhinorrhea)
• -rrhexis: rupture (e.g., hysterorrhexis)

Suffixes (Surgical)

• -centesis: puncture to withdraw fluid (e.g., arthrocentesis)
• -ectomy: surgical removal (e.g., gastrectomy)
• -ostomy: surgically create an opening (e.g., colostomy)
• -otomy: cutting into (e.g., thoracotomy)
• -pexy: surgical fixation (e.g., nephropexy)
• -plasty: surgical repair (e.g., dermatoplasty)
• -rrhaphy: to suture (e.g., myorrhaphy)
• -tome: instrument to cut (e.g., dermatome)

Prefixes (General)

• endo-: within, inner (e.g., endoscope)
• epi-: above (e.g., epigastric)
• extra-: outside of (e.g., extracorporeal)
• hetero-: different (e.g., heterograft)
• homo-: same (e.g., homograft)
• hyper-: excessive (e.g., hypertrophy)
• hypo-: below, insufficient (e.g., hypoglycemia)
• in-: not, inward (e.g., infertile)
• inter-: between (e.g., intervertebral)
• intra-: within (e.g., intravenous)
• macro-: large (e.g., macrotia)
• micro-: small (e.g., microtia)
• neo-: new (e.g., neonatology)
• para-: beside, abnormal, two like parts of a pair (e.g., paranasal)
• per-: through (e.g., percutaneous)
• peri-: around (e.g., pericardial)
• post-: after (e.g., postpartum)
• pre-: before (e.g., preoperative)
• pro-: before (e.g., prolactin)
• pseudo-: false (e.g., pseudocyesis)
• re-: again (e.g., reinfection), backward (e.g., retrograde)
• retro-: backward, behind (e.g., retroperitoneal)
• sub-: under (e.g., subcutaneous)
• super-: above (e.g., superficial)
• tachy-: fast (e.g., tachycardia)
• trans-: across (e.g., transurethral)
• ultra-: beyond (e.g., ultrasound)
• un-: not (e.g., unconscious)

Procedural Suffixes

• -gram: record or picture (e.g., electrocardiogram)
• -graphy: process of recording (e.g., electrocardiography)
• -meter: instrument for measuring (e.g., audiometer)
• -metry: process of measuring (e.g., audiometry)
• -scope: instrument for viewing (e.g., gastroscope)
• -scopic: pertaining to visually examining (e.g., endoscopic)
• -scopy: process of visually examining (e.g., gastroscopy)

Singular and Plural Endings

• Medical terms often originated from Greek and Latin, and singular/plural forms differ from typical English rules.