Medical Terminology: Prefixes, Roots, Suffixes

Study Notes

Medical terms are built using prefixes, roots, suffixes, and combining vowels.
Prefixes are at the beginning of a word and often describe location, direction, number, quantity, amounts, size, color, etc.
Roots are in the middle of a word and often relate to a body part or system.
Suffixes are at the end of a word and often describe diseases, disorders, conditions, procedures, processes, specialties, tests, etc.
Affixes are word parts that attach to the beginning or end of a word or word base.
Prefixes are one or two syllables used before a word to modify its meaning.
Prefixes are often prepositions or adverbs.
Prefixes describe the appearance or location of an anatomical part.
Combining forms are used when a suffix begins with a consonant.
Combining forms include the vowel that has been added to the end of a word root (e.g. gastr/o is the combining form of the word root stomach).

A prefix is the first part of a medical word. It can be attached to the beginning of the root to modify its meaning.
- Example: Polyadenoma (tumor of many glands)
  - poly- prefix: many
  - aden- root: gland
  - -oma suffix: tumor, mass
A suffix is the ending of a medical word often describes a condition, disease, process, etc.
- Example: Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)
  - dys- prefix: difficulty
  - phag- root: swallowing
  - -ia suffix: condition

Combining form includes the vowel that has been added to the end of the root or word root.
The letter "o" is commonly used as a combining vowel.
The rules apply to a combining form when a suffix begins with a consonant, easier to pronounce.
Combining Forms can join two roots (Osteoarthritis is an example of this)
A combining form includes the vowel that has been attached to the end of a word root. For example: gastr/o is the combining form of the word root stomach.

Medical terminology objective of a given course to include identifying medical terminology parts, recognizing prefixes, roots, combining vowels and recognizing new medical terms.
There are different combining forms for Greek and Latin.
The letter o is used as a combining vowel.
Parts of speech such as prepositions and adverbs appear in prefixes.
Roots relate to a body part or system.
Suffixes often describe diseases, disorders, conditions, etc.