Medical Terminology: Prefixes

Prefixes

• Adipo-: Relates to fat or fatty tissue.
• Alb-: Signifies white or light color.
• Ambi-: Indicates both or around.
• An-: Means not, without, or lacking.
• Ante-: Denotes before or in front of.
• Aqua-: Pertains to water.
• Cor-: Means thoroughly or together indicating a comprehensive action.
• Carn-: Relates to flesh or red meat.
• Dys-: Signifies bad, abnormal, impaired, or difficult conditions.
• E-: Indicates out of, away, or outside.
• Epi-: Means upon, over, or on top of.
• Eu-: Denotes happy, well, or pleasant states.
• For-: Indicates not or the opposite.
• Hydro-: Pertains to water.
• Inter-: Signifies between or among.
• Intra-: Means within or inside.
• Mal-: Indicates bad or evil.
• Pan-: Signifies all or inside and is all-encompassing.
• Para-: Denotes beside or beyond.
• Peri-: Means around or near.
• Pseudo-: Indicates false or not real.
• Retro-: Signifies backward or past.
• Socio-: Relates to society or social aspects.
• Sur-: Means over or above.
• Syn-: Indicates together or combined action.
• Ultra-: Signifies beyond or extreme.
• Anni/annu/enni-: Pertains to the year, indicating time or duration.
• Anthrop-: Relates to human aspects.

Roots

• Aud: Relates to hearing or listening.
• Breve: Signifies short or brief.
• Ced/ceed/cess: Indicates going, yielding, or withdrawing.
• Claus/clos/clud/clus: Relates to closing or shutting something off.
• Cogn/gnos: Pertains to knowledge or understanding.
• Cre/cred: Signifies belief or trust.
• Duc/duct: Indicates leading, guiding, or drawing.
• Fid/Fide: Relates to faith or trust.
• Frater: Brotherhood, relating to siblings or close relationships.
• Grad/Gress: Describes movement, steps, or a process.
• Jud/judi/judic: Pertains to legal matters, judgment, or decision-making.
• Jug: Relates to joining or connecting.
• Jur: Means to swear or take an oath, often in legal contexts.
• Lect: Pertains to choosing or selecting.
• Leg: Relates to law or legal principles.
• Liter: Signifies letters, words, or literature.
• Mater: Relates to mother or nurturing.
• Miss/mit/mitt: Indicates sending, throwing, or putting forth.
• Mon: Advising, warning, or reminding.
• Nym: Relates to name or nomenclature.
• Pater: Father.
• Ped/Pod: Pertains to foot.
• Pend/Pens: Signifies hang or weigh, suggesting balance or consideration.
• Phil: Indicates love or affinity.
• Phobia: Indicates fear.
• Pons: Relates to placing or putting.
• Psych: Pertains to mind or soul.
• Scrib: Pertains to writing.
• Sed/sess/sid: Relates to sit or settle.
• Sens/sent: Signifies to feel or perceive.
• Spir: To breathe or have a longing for.
• Spond/spons: To pledge or promise, indicating commitment.
• Tort: Twist, wrong, misshapen.
• Vac: Pertains to empty or vacant.
• Ven/vene/vent: To come, indicating motion or arrival.
• Ver/veri: Truth or reality.
• Vert/vers: Pertains to turn, indicating change or direction.
• Vit/viv: Life or vitality.
• Vol: Relates to wishing or willing.

Suffixes

• -Ia/ial: Pertaining to or relating to.
• -ancy: The state or quality of being.
• -Ary: Relating to a place for something.
• -ate: To make, to act.
• -cy: The state or quality of.
• -ectomy: Surgical removal of.
• -ency: The state or quality of being.
• -ery: A place of, the act of, or a collection of.
• -ess: Denotes a female person or role.
• -gist: A person who studies or is an expert in a particular field.
• -ia: A condition or state, or a place.
• -ian: A person who specialize in or is associated with something.
• -ice: The state or quality of something.
• -il/ile: Relating to or capable of.
• -ism: A belief system, condition, or characteristic.
• –age: Result, collective group.
• -ance: State, quality, or action.
• -ate: To cause, perform an action.
• -cle/cule: Small or tiny.
• -ese: Related to language.
• -fy/-ify: To make or cause to become.
• -ly: In a certain way (often makes words adverbs).