Prefixes Medicine

Prefixes Used in Scientific Terms

• Prefixes are used in scientific terms to modify the meaning of a word.

• The prefix "a-" or "an-" means without, as in "a-cardia" (without a heart) or "an-aerobe" (without oxygen).

• The prefix "ab-" means away from, as in "ab-duction" (movement away from the midline of the body).

• The prefix "ad-" means to or toward, as in "ad-duction" (movement toward the midline of the body).

• The prefix "adeno-" means glandular, as in "adeno-pathy" (disease of a gland) or "aden-oma" (tumor of a gland).

• The prefix "ambi-" means both, as in "ambi-dextrous" (able to use both hands equally) or "ambi-valent" (having mixed feelings).

• The prefix "amphi-" means on both sides, as in "amphi-arthrosis" (a joint that allows movement in two directions) or "amphi-bia" (animals that can live in both water and land).

• The prefix "an-" means without, as in "an-encephaly" (a birth defect where the brain is missing) or "an-aerobe" (an organism that can survive without oxygen).

• The prefix "angio-" means vessel, as in "angio-logy" (the study of blood vessels) or "angi-oma" (a tumor made up of blood vessels).

• The prefix "ante-" means before, as in "ante-natal" (before birth) or "ante-mortem" (before death).

• The prefix "anti-" means against, as in "anti-gen" (a substance that triggers an immune response) or "anti-septic" (a substance that kills or prevents the growth of microorganisms).

• The prefix "arthro-" means joint, as in "arthro-pod" (an invertebrate animal with a segmented body and jointed limbs) or "arthro-logy" (the study of joints).

• The prefix "auto-" means self, as in "auto-lysis" (the breakdown of cells by their own enzymes) or "auto-genous" (produced by the organism itself).Common Medical Prefixes and Their Meanings

• Phlebo-: Prefix meaning "vein" used in terms like phlebo-sclerosis and phleb-itis

• Photo-: Prefix meaning "light" used in terms like photo-graph and photo-synthesis

• Pilo-: Prefix meaning "hair" used in terms like pilo-motor and pilo-nidal

• Platy-: Prefix meaning "broad or flat" used in terms like platy-podia and platy-rrhine

• Pleo-: Prefix meaning "many" used in terms like pleo-morphic and pleo-mastia

• Pneumo-: Prefix meaning "air" used in terms like pneumo-nia and pneumo-thorax

• Podo-: Prefix meaning "foot" used in terms like pod-iatry and pod-algia

• Polio-: Prefix meaning "gray" used in terms like polio-myelitis and poli-osis

• Poly-: Prefix meaning "many or much" used in terms like poly-neuritis and poly-uria

• Post-: Prefix meaning "after" used in terms like post-mortem and post-partum

• Pre-: Prefix meaning "before" used in terms like pre-natal and pre-molar

• Procto-: Prefix meaning "rectum" used in terms like procto-logy and proct-itis