Medical Terminology: Prefixes Flashcards

Study Notes

Medical Terminology Prefixes (meta-uni)

meta: Indicates "after," "beyond," or "change," often used in medical terms to signify transformation or transition.
micro: Prefix meaning "small," used to describe tiny structures or organisms in medicine, such as microflora.
multi: Refers to "many," commonly used in terms such as multitasking or multipurpose treatments.
neo: Means "new," often seen in terms like neonatal, relating to newborns.
nulli: Denotes "none," frequently used in medical terms to describe absence, as in nullipara (a woman who has never given birth).
pan: Signifies "all" or "total," applicable in terms like pandemic, indicating an outbreak affecting all people globally.
para: Indicates "beside," "beyond," or "around," used in terms like parathyroid (glands beside the thyroid).
per: Means "through," often pertains to processes or structures that allow flow or passage, such as percutaneous (through the skin).
peri: Refers to "surrounding" or "outer," used in terms like pericardium (the membrane surrounding the heart).
poly: Indicates "many" or "much," commonly seen in terms like polyuria, meaning excessive urination.
post: Means "after," used in medical contexts to refer to periods following an event, such as postpartum (after childbirth).
pre: Denotes "before" or "in front of," used in terms like preoperative (before surgery).
pro: Indicates "before," often seen in terms like prognosis (prediction about the course of a disease).
re: Means "back," used to denote returning or reversing, as in rehabilitation.
retro: Signifies "back" or "behind," seen in terms like retroperitoneal (located behind the peritoneum).
semi: Indicates "half," used in medical terms like semicircular canals in the inner ear.
sub: Means "under" or "below," used in terms like subcutaneous (beneath the skin).
super: Signifies "over" or "above," applicable in terms like superficial (near the surface).
supra: Means "above," often seen in anatomical terms indicating a position higher than another, such as supraspinatus (muscle above the spine of the scapula).
sym: Indicates "together" or "joined," often used in terms like symptom, which refers to a sign of a condition experienced together with other symptoms.
syn: Similar to "sym," signifies "together" or "joined," used in terms like synchronous, meaning occurring at the same time.
tachy: Means "fast" or "rapid," often used in contexts like tachycardia (elevated heart rate).
tetra: Indicates "four," used in terms like tetralogy, which refers to a set of four conditions.
trans: Refers to "through," "across," or "beyond," applicable in processes like transfusion (transfer of blood or fluids).
tri: Means "three," used in terms like tricuspid (having three cusps).
ultra: Denotes "beyond" or "excess," often seen in advanced diagnostic terms like ultrasound.
uni: Indicates "one," used in terms like unilateral (affecting one side).