Medical Terminology: Prefixes and Roots Flashcards

Prefixes

• retro-: Indicates a position that is backward or behind.
• semi-: Refers to something that is half.
• sub-: Means under or beneath.
• super-: Denotes a position that is above, over, or in excess.
• supra-: Similar to super-, it also means above or over.
• tachy-: Indicates a state of being fast or rapid.
• trans-: Refers to movement across something.
• uni-: Represents the number one.

Root Words

• abdomin: Pertains to the abdomen.
• aden: Relates to glands in the body.
• adren: Specifically refers to the adrenal glands.
• angi: Associated with blood vessels.
• arteri: Relates to arteries, the blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart.
• arthr: Refers to joints, the connections between bones.
• bronch: Pertains to the bronchus, the large air passages that lead from the trachea to the lungs.
• card, cardi: Relates to the heart.
• cephal: Pertains to the head.
• chole, chol: Refers to bile, a digestive fluid produced by the liver.
• chondr: Associated with cartilage, the flexible connective tissue.
• colo: Pertains to the colon, or large intestine.
• cost: Refers to ribs, the bones that form the ribcage.
• crani: Relates to the skull, the bony structure that encases the brain.
• cyan: Indicates a blue color.
• cyst: Refers to a bladder or cyst, typically a sac-like structure.
• cyt: Pertains to cells, the basic building blocks of life.
• dent: Relates to teeth; dental terminology.
• derma: Pertains to skin.
• duoden: Refers to the duodenum, the first section of the small intestine, significant for digestion.
• encephal: Pertains to the brain.
• enter: Refers to the intestines.
• fibr: Indicates fibers or fibrous structures.
• gastr: Associated with the stomach.
• gloss: Relates to the tongue.
• gluc: Pertains to sweetness or glucose.
• glyc: Refers to sugar, particularly in the context of carbohydrates.
• gyn, gyne, gyneco: Relates to women and female-related conditions.
• hem, hema, hemo, hemat: Pertains to blood.
• hepat: Refers to the liver.
• hydr: Indicates water.
• hyster: Pertains to the uterus.
• ile, ili: Refers to the ileum, the final segment of the small intestine.
• laparo: Pertains to the abdomen, loin, or flank region.
• laryng: Refers to the larynx, involved in voice production and breathing.
• lith: Indicates stones, often in a medical context relating to calculi found in organs.