Chapter Four: Essentials Of Medical Terminology Prefixes

ADDITIONAL WORD PARTS ROOTS AND SUFFIXES USED TO BUILD MEDICAL TERMS ROOT MEANING cellul/o cell cis/o to cut comat/o deep sleep digest/o digestion duct/o to draw later/o side/ lateral nat/o birth sept/o infection son/o sound SUFFIX MEANING -aise ease -ar pertaining to -cuspid projection; cusps -drome to run -form shape; form -genous produced by -gnosis knowledge -mortem death -plasm development; formation -plegia paralysis version turning; tilting PREFIXES REFERRING TO DIRECTION AND POSITION THE FOLLOWING PREFIXES TELL US WHICH DIRECTION, WHERE, WHEN, AND HOW MUCH ab- away from -ion process duct/o to draw abduction process of drawing away from ad- toward -ion process duct/o to draw adduction process of drawing toward ante- before -al pertaining to nat/o birth antenatal pertaining to before birth, referring to the fetus; prenatal NOTE: Fetus is the name given to the unborn infant circum- around -ion process duct/o to draw circumduction process of drawing a part in a circular motion dia- -meter diameter measurement from edge to edge of a circle NOTE: In this word, the suffix -meter means measurement not instrument used to measure -gnosis knowledge diagnosis one disease is different from another disease after complete knowledge of the disease is obtained through a study of the signs and symptoms, and through laboratory, x-ray, and other diagnostic procedures ecto- outside -genous produced by; produced from ectogenous produced from the outside; infection that originates from the outside endo- within -scope instrument used to visually examine a body cavity or organ endoscope instrument used to visually examine a body cavity or organ NOTE: Endoscopes are named after the organ being examined. For example a gastroscope, laparoscope, and a colonoscope are used to visualize the stomach, abdominal cavity, and colon, respectively epi- upon; on; above -ic pertaining to gastr/o stomach epigastric pertaining to upon the stomach e-; ex-; exo-; extra- out; outward; outside -version process of turning eversion process of turning out, as in the turning of the sole of the foot outward -ion process cis/o cut excision process of cutting out -ar pertaining to ocul/o eye extraocular pertaining to outside the eye hyper- excessive; above -plasia formation; development hyperplasia excessive formation; increase in the number of normal cells hypo- below; under; deficient -ic pertaining to gastr/o stomach hypogastric pertaining to below the stomach in- in; into -ion process cis/o to cut incision process of cutting into NOTE: Types of incisions include (A) Mc Burney, over the appendix; (B) Pfannenstiel, a curved lower abdominal incision; (C) subcostal, below the ribs; (D) suprapubic, above the pubic area; (E) transverse, a horizontal incision; (F) midline or epigastric, vertical incision at the midline; (G) paramedian, vertical incision near the midline; and (H) umbilical cord incision, through the umbilicus for scopic surgery -version process of turning inversion process of turning in, as in the turning of the sold of the foot inward infra- below; beneath -al pertaining to cost/o rib infracostal pertaining to below the ribs inter- between -ar pertaining to cellul/o cell intercellular pertaining to between the cells intra- within -al pertaining to crani/o skull intracranial pertaining to within the skull meta- beyond -plasia formation; development metaplasia change in formation -stasis stopping; controlling metastasis the uncontrolled spread of cancerous cells from one organ to another NOTE: A malignant tumor will undergo metastasis para- beside; near -al pertaining to nas/o nose paranasal pertaining to near the nose per- through -ous pertaining to cutane/o skin percutaneous pertaining to through the skin peri- around -itis inflammation neur/o nerve perineuritis inflammation around a nerve post- after -mortem death postmortem after death pre- before; in front of -al pertaining to nat/o birth prenatal pertaining to before birth, referring to the fetus pro- before -drome to run prodrome symptom or symptoms occurring before the onset of disease. For example, chest pain, tiredness, and shortness of breath are prodromal symptoms of a heart attack -gnosis knowledge prognosis prediction or forecast of the outcome of the disease retro- back; behind -version process of turning retroversion backward turning or tipping of an organ sub- under; below -ous pertaining to cutane/o skin subcutaneous pertaining to under the skin; for example subcutaneous fat -al pertaining to lingu/o tongue sublingual pertaining to under the tongue supra- above -al pertaining to ren/o kidney suprarenal pertaining to above the kidney trans- across -ion process sect/o cut transection process of cutting across ultra- beyond -graphy process of recording son/o sound ultrasonography process of recording an image of internal structures by using high frequency sound waves; also known as ultrasound NEGATIVE PREFIXES PREFIXES THAT MEAN AGAINST, NOT, OR LACKING anti- against -tic pertaining to bi/o life antibiotic drug used to kill harmful bacteria a-; an- no; not; lack of -ic pertaining to sept/o infection aseptic free from infectious material -emia blood condition anemia lack of red blood cells (RBC's); lack of hemoglobin (Hgb) contra- against; opposite -al pertaining to later/o side contralateral pertaining to the opposite side in- not -ible able to be; tending to digest/o digestion indigestible not capable of being digested PREFIXES REFERRING TO NUMBERS PREFIXES THAT TELL US HOW MANY bi-; di- two -al pertaining to later/o side bilateral pertaining to two sides -ion pertaining to sect/o to cut dissection to cut into two pieces hemi-; semi- half -ectomy excision gastr/o stomach hemigastrectomy excision of half the stomach semi- half comat/o deep sleep semicomatose state of unconsciousness from which the patient may be aroused mono-; uni- one -cyte cell monocyte blood cell with a single nucleus -al pertaining to later/o side unilateral pertaining to one side multi-; poly- many -form shape; form multiform having many shapes -oma tumor aden/o gland polyadenoma tumor of many glands quadri- four -al pertaining to later/o side quadrilateral pertaining to four sides tri- three -cuspid projection; cusp tricuspid three cusps or projections NOTE: The tricuspids or molars are teeth with three projections for grinding and cutting food MISCELLANEOUS PREFIXES PREFIXES THAT TELL US VARIOUS QUALITIES ana- apart; up -tomy process of cutting; to cut anatomy the study of the structure of the body NOTE: This term is derived from the fact that, to study structure, one must cut up, or dissect, the body auto- self -opsy to view autopsy internal and external examination of the body after death to determine the cause of death; also called necropsy or postmortem examination brady- slow -ia state of; condition cardi/o heart bradycardia pertaining to a slow heartbeat dys- bad; abnormal; difficult; painful -plasia development; formation dysplasia abnormal development macro- large -ia state of; condition cephal/o head macrocephalia excessively large head mal- bad -aise ease malaise a feeling of uneasiness or discomfort; a sign of illness micro small -scope instrument used to visually examine microscope instrument used to visually examine very small objects neo- new -plasm development; formation neoplasm new formation of tissue such as an abnormal growth or tumor pan- all -ectomy excision; surgical removal hyster/o uterus panhysterectomy excision of all the uterus syn-; sym- together; with; joined -tic pertaining to arthr/o joint synarthrotic a type of joint in which the bones are joined -metry process of measuring symmetry like parts on opposite sides of the body are similar in form, size, and position tachy- fast; rapid -ia condition cardi/o heart tachycardia pertaining to fast heartbeat of over 100 beats per minute tetra- four -plegia paralysis tetraplegia paralysis of all four limbs; also known as quadriplegia SUMMARY OF PREFIXES THAT HAVE THE SAME MEANING PREFIXES THAT MEAN THE SAME THING MEANING PREFIX above epi-; hyper-; supra- against anti-; contra- around circum-; peri- bad dys-; mal- before ante-; pre-; pro- below hypo-; infra-; sub- half hemi-; semi- many multi-; poly- one mono-; uni-; outside e-; ex-; extra-; ecto-; exo- within endo-; intra- SUMMARY OF PREFIXES THAT HAVE THE OPPOSITE MEANING PREFIXES THAT MEAN EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE OF EACH OTHER MEANING PREFIX away from ab- toward ad- before ante-; pre-; pro- after post above epi-; hyper-; supra below hypo-; infra-; sub- fast tachy- slow brady- excessive hyper- deficient hypo- large macro- small micro- apart ana- together; with; joined syn-