Medical Terminology Prefixes Flashcards

Prefixes Indicating Numbers or Amounts

• uni: means one; e.g., unilateral.
• mono: means one; e.g., mononucleosis.
• bi: means two or both; e.g., bilateral.
• di: means two; e.g., diplegia.
• ambi: means both; e.g., ambivalent.
• tri: means three; e.g., trivalent.
• quadra: means four; e.g., quadriplegic.
• tetra: means four; e.g., tetralogy.
• poly: means many; e.g., polycythemia.
• multi: means many or several; e.g., multiphasic.
• mega: means large or excessive; e.g., megaloblasts.
• olig: means few or scant; e.g., oliguria.
• micro: means very small; e.g., microtension.
• hemi: means half; e.g., hemisphere.
• semi: means part of a whole; e.g., semifluent.

Prefixes Indicating Absence or Opposites

• a: means without; e.g., anemia.
• an: means without; e.g., anaerobic.

Prefixes Indicating Speed or Quantity

• tachy: means fast; e.g., tachycardia.
• brady: means slow; e.g., bradycardia.
• pan: means all; e.g., pandemic.

Prefixes Indicating Amount or Position/Direction

• hyper: means excessive, more; e.g., hypertensive.
• hypo: means less, deficient; e.g., hypoglycemic.
• infra: means less than; e.g., infrasonic.
• sub: means less than; e.g., subnormal.
• meta: means change; e.g., metastasize.
• super: means excessive, more; e.g., supernumerary.
• supra: means excessive, outside; e.g., supraliminal.
• ultra: means excessive; e.g., ultramodern.

Prefixes Indicating Position/Direction

• ad-: means near, toward; e.g., adhere.
• ab-: means away from; e.g., absolve.
• anti-: means against, opposed to; e.g., anticoagulant.
• contra-: means against, opposed to; e.g., contraindicated.
• circum-: means around; e.g., circumcision.
• peri-: means around; e.g., peritectomy.
• de-: means not, from, down; e.g., descending.
• dia-: means through, across; e.g., diagonal.
• trans-: means across, through; e.g., transverse.
• dis-: means separate, apart; e.g., distal.
• epi-: means upon, above; e.g., epiglottis.
• para-: means along, beside; e.g., parathyroid.

Prefixes Indicating Time or Position/Direction

• per-: means through; e.g., permanent, percutaneous.
• post-: means after; e.g., postsurgical, posterior.
• pre-: means before; e.g., precursor, preaxial.
• re-: means again, back; e.g., revive, recline.
• retro-: means backward, behind; e.g., retrospective, retrobulbular.

Commonly Used Prefixes Indicating Location

• e: means out, outside, away; e.g., elevate.
• ec: means out, outside, away; e.g., eclabium.
• ex: means out, outside, away; e.g., external.
• ecto: means out, outside, away; e.g., ectoplasm.
• exo: means out, outside, away; e.g., exogenous.
• extra: means out, outside, away; e.g., extrapolate.
• en: means in or inside; e.g., endermic.
• endo: means in or inside; e.g., endodontic.
• in: means in or inside; e.g., interior.
• intra: means in or inside; e.g., intramuscular.

Additional Common Prefixes

• ante: means before; e.g., anterior.
• pro: means before; e.g., prophylactic.

Common Prefixes Indicating Association

• con: means with; e.g., connecting.
• syn: means with; e.g., synthetic.
• sym: means with; e.g., symbiosis.

Prefixes Related to Conditions or Characteristics

• auto: means self; e.g., autoclave.
• bio: means life; e.g., biology.
• dys: means painful, faulty, difficult; e.g., dyspepsia.
• eu: means normal; e.g., eugenics.

Prevalent Medical Terms with Unique Plurals

• apex: plural is apices.
• appendix: plural is appendices.
• bacterium: plural is bacteriA.
• cardiopathy: plural is cardiopathies.
• condyloma: plural is condylomata.
• diagnosis: plural is diagnoses.
• fungus: plural is fungI.
• phenomenon: plural is phenomena.
• thorax: plural is thoraces.
• vertebra: plural is vertebrae.