Medical Terminology: Prefixes Quiz

Study Notes

Medical terminology relies heavily on understanding prefixes, suffixes, and roots. Each component contributes to the overall meaning of a medical term.

Prefixes

Prefixes are placed at the beginning of a word and modify or qualify the meaning of the root.
Common prefixes include:
- a-, an-: without, lacking (e.g., asphyxia, anemia)
- ante-:: before (e.g., antepartum)
- anti-:: against (e.g., antibiotic)
- auto-:: self (e.g., autoimmunity)
- bi-:: two (e.g., bilateral)
- circum-:: around (e.g., circumoral)
- co-, con-, com-:: with, together (e.g., cooperate, contraction)
- contra-:: against (e.g., contralateral)
- de-:: down, away from (e.g., dehydration)
- dys-:: difficult, painful (e.g., dysphagia)
- endo-:: within (e.g., endocardium)
- epi-:: upon, above (e.g., epidermis)
- ex-, exo-:: out, outside (e.g., excretion, exocrine)
- extra-:: outside of (e.g., extrahepatic)
- hyper-:: excessive (e.g., hypertension)
- hypo-:: deficient, below (e.g., hypotension)
- in-, im-, il-, ir-:: not, without (e.g., incomplete, immobile, illegal, irregular)
- inter-:: between (e.g., intercostal)
- intra-:: within (e.g., intravenous)
- macro-:: large (e.g., macromolecule)
- micro-:: small (e.g., microorganism)
- peri-:: around (e.g., pericardium)
- post-:: after (e.g., postoperative)
- pre-:: before (e.g., prenatal)
- pro-:: before, forward (e.g., prolapse)
- re-:: again (e.g., rebuild)
- sub-:: under, below (e.g., subcutaneous)
- super-:: above, excessive (e.g., superb)
- trans-:: across (e.g., transdermal)

Suffixes

Suffixes are placed at the end of a word and often indicate a process, condition, or nature of a structure.
Common suffixes include:
- -al, -ar, -ary: pertaining to (e.g., cardiac, muscular, respiratory)
- -ia, -iasis: condition (e.g., pneumonia, nephritis)
- -ic, -ical: pertaining to (e.g., cardiac, surgical)
- -itis: inflammation (e.g., appendicitis, arthritis)
- -logy: study of (e.g., cardiology, dermatology)
- -oma: tumor (e.g., carcinoma, melanoma)
- -osis: abnormal condition (e.g., osteoporosis, cirrhosis)
- -pathy: disease (e.g., neuropathy)
- -ectomy: surgical removal (e.g., appendectomy, tonsillectomy)
- -rrhage: bursting forth (e.g., hemorrhage)

Roots

Roots are the core of a medical term, providing the essential meaning.
Understanding roots is crucial for deciphering and applying medical terms.
Examples of common roots include:
- card: heart (e.g., Cardiology, cardiomegaly)
- derm: skin (e.g., dermatology, epidermis)
- gastr: stomach (e.g., gastritis, gastroenterology)
- hepato: liver (e.g., hepatitis, hepatic)
- neur: nerve (e.g., neurology, neuralgia)
- path: disease (e.g., pathology)
- pulmo: lung (e.g., pulmonary, pulmonary edema)
- ren: kidney (e.g., renal, nephritis)
- splen: spleen (e.g., splenomegaly, splenectomy)
- arthr: joint (e.g., arthritis, arthroscopy)

Combining Forms

Combining forms are often used when a root combines with a vowel to facilitate pronunciation and clarity.
For example, the combining form for "heart" is "cardio-."

Relationship between Components

A medical term's meaning is deciphered by understanding how prefixes, suffixes, and roots combine to convey specific clinical information.
Context is also critical in interpreting the precise meaning of medical terms.
Multiple sources should be consulted to fully understand the contextual significance of specific words.

Description

Test your knowledge of medical terminology by focusing on prefixes. This quiz covers common prefixes, their meanings, and examples to help you understand how they modify medical terms. Challenge yourself and enhance your vocabulary in the medical field!