Questions and Answers
What is a prefix?
What does the suffix indicate in a medical term?
What is a word root in medical terminology?
Words found in the middle of a word
What does the prefix 'a-' or 'an-' mean?
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What does the prefix 'ante-' mean?
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What is the meaning of the prefix 'anti-'?
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What does the prefix 'bi-' indicate?
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What does the prefix 'brady-' mean?
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What does the prefix 'circum-' signify?
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What does the prefix 'de-' mean?
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What does the prefix 'dia-' or 'trans-' indicate?
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What does the prefix 'dys-' mean?
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What does the prefix 'ecto-' mean?
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What does the prefix 'endo-' indicate?
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What does the prefix 'epi-' mean?
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What does the prefix 'eu-' signify?
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What does the prefix 'ex-' or 'extra-' indicate?
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What does the prefix 'hemi-' or 'semi-' mean?
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What does the prefix 'hyper-' imply?
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What does the prefix 'hypo-' signify?
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What does the prefix 'inter-' mean?
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What does the prefix 'intra-' refer to?
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What does the prefix 'iso-' indicate?
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What does the prefix 'mal-' mean?
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What does the prefix 'megalo-' or 'macro-' mean?
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What does the prefix 'micro-' signify?
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What does the prefix 'mono-' mean?
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What does the prefix 'multi-' signify?
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What does the prefix 'oligo-' mean?
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What does the prefix 'pan-' indicate?
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What does the prefix 'peri-' mean?
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What does the prefix 'post-' signify?
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What does the prefix 'quad-' indicate?
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What does the prefix 're-' mean?
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What does the prefix 'super-' mean?
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What does the prefix 'tachy-' mean?
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What does the prefix 'ultra-' mean?
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What does the prefix 'uni-' signify?
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Study Notes
Medical Terminology: Prefixes Overview
- Prefixes are located at the beginning of medical terms and modify their meaning.
- Suffixes are found at the end of medical terms, adding additional information.
- Word roots are located in the middle of a term and convey the core meaning.
Common Prefixes and Their Meanings
- a-, an-: Indicates absence or lack (e.g., "anemia" means lack of blood).
- ante-, pre-, pro-: Denotes "before" in terms of time or position (e.g., "preoperative" refers to the time before surgery).
- anti-, contra-: Suggests opposition or being against (e.g., "antibiotic" fights bacteria).
- bi-, diplo-: Means "two" (e.g., "bilingual" involves two languages).
- brady-: Refers to a "slow" rate (e.g., "bradycardia" is a slow heart rate).
- circum-: Means "around" (e.g., "circumcision" is the removal of skin around the penis).
- de-: Indicates movement "away from" or reversal (e.g., "dehydrate" means to remove water).
- dia-, trans-: Means "through" (e.g., "diagnosis" refers to identifying a condition).
- dys-: Signifies "abnormal," "painful," or "difficult" (e.g., "dysfunction" refers to abnormal function).
- ecto-: Suggests being "outside" (e.g., "ectopic" means occurring in an abnormal position).
- endo-: Indicates "within" (e.g., "endoscopy" involves examining the inside of the body).
- epi-: Means "upon" or "over" (e.g., "epidermis" refers to the outer layer of skin).
- eu-: Signifies "normal" or "good" (e.g., "euthanasia" means good death).
- ex-, exo-, extra-: Indicates "out of," "away from," or "outside" (e.g., "extracellular" means outside the cell).
- hemi-, semi-: Means "half" (e.g., "hemisphere" refers to half of a spherical structure).
- hyper-, poly-: Indicates "above normal" or "excessive" (e.g., "hypertension" refers to high blood pressure).
- hypo-, sub-: Means "below normal" or "under" (e.g., "hypoglycemia" is low blood sugar).
- inter-: Signifies "between" (e.g., "intercellular" means between cells).
- intra-: Indicates "within" (e.g., "intravenous" means within a vein).
- iso-: Means "same" (e.g., "isotonic" refers to equal tension).
- mal-: Signifies "bad" or "not adequate" (e.g., "malnutrition" refers to poor nutrition).
- megalo-, mega-, macro-: Denotes "large" or "big" (e.g., "megaphone" amplifies sound).
- micro-: Means "small" or "tiny" (e.g., "microscope" is used to view small objects).
- mono-: Signifies "one" (e.g., "monosaccharide" is a simple sugar).
- multi-, pluri-: Indicates "many" (e.g., "multivitamin" contains many vitamins).
- oligo-: Means "few," "scanty," or "sparse" (e.g., "oliguria" refers to low urine output).
- pan-: Signifies "all" (e.g., "panacea" is a remedy for all ailments).
- peri-: Means "around" (e.g., "pericardium" is the tissue around the heart).
- post-: Indicates "after" or "following" (e.g., "postoperative" refers to after surgery).
- quad-, quadra-, quadri-: Means "four" (e.g., "quadrant" refers to one quarter of a circle).
- re-: Indicates "again" or "backward" (e.g., "rehabilitate" means to restore).
- super-, supra-: Means "above," "superior," or "more" (e.g., "supernova" refers to an explosive star).
- tachy-: Signifies "fast" or "abnormally fast" (e.g., "tachycardia" is a fast heart rate).
- ultra-: Means "beyond" (e.g., "ultrasonic" refers to sounds beyond the range of human hearing).
- uni-: Signifies "one" or "single" (e.g., "unilateral" refers to one side).
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Description
Explore the essential prefixes used in medical terminology. This quiz covers the meanings of common prefixes and their applications in various medical terms. Enhance your understanding of how prefixes modify the meanings of medical words.
