Medical Terminology Root Words Flashcards

Medical Root Words and Their Definitions

• phago/o: Refers to the act of eating or swallowing.
• -tome: An instrument used to make cuts or distinct edges in medical procedures.
• -triptor: A tool or agent that crushes, often used in various medical contexts.
• arthr/o: Denotes a joint, integral in defining conditions related to joint health.
• hem/o: A prefix that relates specifically to blood.
• lapar/o: Refers to the abdomen, commonly used in surgical terms.
• -ole and -ule: Suffixes both indicating a small thing or diminutive form.
• -um: Pertains to a period of time or a structural aspect in medical terminology.
• -ac, -al, -ar, -ary, -eal, -ic, -ous: Suffixes indicating "pertaining to," commonly used in medical terms.
• -tomy: Describes the process of cutting or making an incision.
• -algia: Indicates a condition of pain, frequently used to name specific painful conditions.
• -logy: Signifies the study of a particular subject within medicine.
• nosocomio/o: Refers to hospitals, essential in healthcare terminology.
• -scope: An instrument utilized for examination within the body.
• -cele: Refers to a hernia, important in abdominal terminology and diagnoses.
• -emia: Indicates a condition concerning blood or a substance present in blood.
• -ia: Describes a condition, state, or thing within a medical context.
• -itis: Indicates an infection or inflammation of a specified area.
• -malacia: Refers to a condition characterized by softening of tissues.
• -megaly: Signifies an enlargement, often related to organs.
• -oma: Refers to a mass or tumor, crucial for oncology-related terms.
• -osis: Describes a condition or process, often indicating disease states.
• -pathy: Indicates a disease or suffering condition, broadly applicable in pathology.
• -ptosis: Refers to a state of dropping or falling, significant in anatomical contexts.
• -rrhage: Signifies excessive flow or discharge, frequently used in hematology.
• enter/o: Pertains specifically to the intestine, relevant in gastrointestinal terms.
• -rrhea: Indicates discharge or flow, often used in relation to bodily fluids.
• chondr/o: Refers to cartilage, important in musculoskeletal terminology.
• palliat/o: Means to reduce severity, often used in palliative care contexts.
• sten/o: Indicates constriction or narrowing, often used in vascular terminology.
• gnos/o: Refers to knowledge, which is essential in diagnoses and assessments.
• auscult/o: Means listening, especially in the context of examining heart or lung sounds.

Prefixes and Their Meanings

• a-: Indicates moving away from or a lack of.
• an-: Denotes negation or absence.
• ante-: Refers to before or forward in time or position.
• anti-: Signifies opposition or against.
• dys-: Describes something abnormal, difficult, or painful.
• endo-: Refers to the innermost or within.
• epi-: Indicates something situated above or upon.
• hyper-: Describes excessive or more than normal.
• hypo-: Indicates below or deficient in quantity or quality.
• inter-: Means between, often used for anatomical relationships.
• intra-: Refers to within, important in identifying internal structures.
• ne/o: Denotes new, often in relation to newly formed tissues.
• par-: Means beside or alongside.
• para-: Indicates an abnormal or apart condition, often referring to paired structures.
• per-: Refers to through or throughout, frequently in descriptions of processes.
• peri-: Indicates around, outlining important anatomical regions.
• poly-: Refers to many or much, often used in descriptions of conditions affecting multiple parts.
• post-: Denotes after or behind in both time and anatomical relations.
• pre-: Refers to before or in front of, crucial for procedural timelines.
• sub-: Indicates below, underneath, or less than, widely used in anatomical terms.
• trans-: Refers to across or through, often in relation to surgical procedures.

Suffixes Related to Medical Procedures

• -graphy: Refers to the process of recording certain medical data.
• -metry: Indicates the process of measurement of various bodily parameters.
• -opsy: Refers to the process of viewing, critical in diagnostic procedures.
• -scopy: Indicates the use of instruments for examination of internal structures.
• -ectomy: Refers to surgical removal, a common term in surgical contexts.
• -plasty: Describes the process of reshaping a structure surgically.
• -rraphy: Refers to a procedure involving stitches, significant in surgical repair.
• -stomy: Indicates a surgically created opening, important in various surgeries.
• hepat/o: Pertains to the liver, a vital organ in metabolic processes.
• -tripsy: Describes direct crushing of stones or tissues, used in urology and other branches.
• -graph: Refers to instruments used to record data.
• -meter: Indicates an instrument utilized for measurement in medical assessments.