Medical Terminology Flashcards: Prefixes & Roots

Medical Terminology: Prefixes and Suffixes

• Kal/i: Refers to potassium, an essential nutrient in the human body.
• Kary/o: Indicates the nucleus, which contains genetic material in cells.
• Kel/o: Means tumor or fibrous growth, often associated with abnormal tissue formations.
• Kerat/o: Pertains to the cornea or hard, horny tissue, vital for eye structure and protection.
• Keraun/o: Translates to lightning, related to electrical phenomena.
• Kern-: Refers to the nucleus in the context of brain nerve cell collections.
• Ket/o, Keton/o: Represents ketones and acetones, important in metabolism, especially during fasting.
• Kines/o, Kinesi/o, -kinesis, -motor: Relates to movement, crucial in understanding bodily motions.
• Klept/o: Means to steal, often used in medical contexts relating to the act of stealing in psychology.
• Koil/o: Indicates something hollow, concave, or depressed, used to describe certain body structures.
• Kraur/o: Signifies dryness, often used in medical conditions like xerostomia.
• Kym/o: Refers to waves, commonly used in the context of physiological functions or movement patterns.
• Kyph/o: Means humpback, describing a spinal curvature disorder.
• Labile: Describes something unstable or perishable, often in emotional or chemical contexts.
• Labi/o: Refers to lip, used both in anatomy and in terms related to speech.
• Lacrim/o: Pertains to tears and tear ducts, essential for eye lubrication.
• Lact/o: Indicates milk, relevant in nutrition and lactation studies.
• Lal/o, -lalia: Relates to speech or babbling, relevant in language development studies.
• Lamin/o: Refers to the lamina, a layer of tissue in various organs.
• Lampr/o: Means clear, often used in contexts describing transparency in fluids or materials.
• Lapar/o: Pertains to the abdominal wall or abdomen, significant in surgical contexts.
• -lapse: Indicates to slide, fall, or sag, relevant in descriptions of bodily functions or conditions.
• Leth/o: Refers to death, often used in medical terminology regarding end-of-life conditions.
• Leuk/o: Means white, commonly associated with white blood cells or related medical conditions.
• Laryng/o: Refers to the larynx, or voice box, a critical area for sound production.
• Later/o: Indicates the side, used in anatomical descriptions for positioning.
• Lecith/o: Pertains to yolk or ovum, significant in reproductive studies.
• Lei/o: Refers to smooth tissue, used to describe various muscle types.
• Leiomy/o: Specifically denotes smooth (visceral) muscle, crucial for understanding muscle function.
• -lemma: Refers to a sheath or covering, often describing protective layers in tissues.
• Lepid/o: Refers to scales or flakes, relevant in dermatological contexts.
• Lepr/o: Relates to leprosy, a historical disease with significant impact on health.
• -lepsy: Indicates a seizure, used in neurological terminology.
• Lept/o: Refers to something thin or slender, relevant in contexts like body composition.
• -leptic: Means to seize or take hold of, relevant in medication descriptions.
• Levo-: Indicates the left side, commonly used in anatomical references.
• Lex/o, -lexia: Pertains to words or phrases, often in linguistic studies.
• Lien/o: Refers to the spleen, an organ involved in immune function.
• Ligament/o: Signifies ligament, which connects bones and supports joints.
• Ligat/o: Refers to binding or tying, often in surgical contexts.
• Lim/o: Means hunger, relevant in nutritional studies and conditions.
• Lingu/o: Pertains to the tongue, essential for taste and speech.
• Lip/o: Refers to fat or lipids, significant in metabolic studies and nutrition.
• -lipsis: Indicates omission or failure, relevant in descriptions of medical conditions.
• -listhesis: Refers to a condition involving stones, often in urological contexts.
• Lith/o: Means stone or calculus, often linked to kidney or gallbladder issues.
• -lithotomy: Indicates incision for stone removal, significant in urological surgery.
• Lob/o: Refers to a lobe, often used in organ anatomy descriptions.
• Logad/o: Refers to the whites of the eyes, important in ophthalmology.
• -logist: Denotes a specialist, significant in various fields of medicine.
• Log/o: Refers to study, used in various medical disciplines.
• -logy: Indicates study or process of understanding specific systems or conditions.
• Loph/o: Refers to ridge structures, important in anatomical descriptions.
• Lord/o: Denotes curve or swayback, commonly used in spinal health discussions.
• Lox/o: Indicates oblique or slanting, used in describing certain anatomical orientations.
• -lucent: Means to shine, relevant in imaging and diagnostic techniques.
• Lumb/o: Pertains to the lower back or loin, significant in musculoskeletal health.
• Lumin/o: Refers to light, often used in contexts involving visibility or diagnostics.
• Lute/o: Indicates yellow, potentially relating to various physiological processes.
• Lux/o: Means to slide, often in context with joint or spinal movement.
• Lymph/o: Refers to lymph, critical to the immune system.
• Ly/o: Indicates to dissolve or loosen, relevant in biochemical processes.
• Lymphaden/o: Refers to lymph glands or nodes, pivotal in understanding immune responses.
• Lymphangi/o: Pertains to lymph vessels, crucial for fluid balance.
• -lysis: Describes breakdown, separation, destruction, or loosening, relevant in various medical processes.
• -lytic: Refers to reducing, destroying, or separating substances, commonly used in pharmacology.
• Macro-, Mega-: Both indicate large, often used to describe various conditions or anatomical structures.
• Mal-: Means bad, widely used to describe unfavorable medical conditions.
• -malacia: Refers to softening, relevant in pathological contexts.
• Malleol/o: Refers to the malleolus, part of the ankle structure.
• Mamm/o, Mast/o: Pertains to breast, significant in studies of mammary health.
• Mandibul/o: Refers to the mandible or lower jawbone, important in dental and craniofacial studies.
• -mania: Indicates obsessive preoccupation, relevant in psychological contexts.
• -masesis: Refers to mastication or chewing, significant in digestive processes.
• Mastoid/o: Pertains to the mastoid process behind the ear, important in ear health.