Some Common Medical Suffixes Suffixes that change a root word to a noun

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Margaret Matthews
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1 Some Common Medical Suffixes Suffixes that change a root word to a noun -agogue leading, inducing galactagogue galacta + agogue agent that promotes flow of milk -ance quality or act of resonance quality or act of resounding re + son + ance -cide killer germicide killer of germs germ + i + cide -ectasia dilation or telangiectasis dilation of capillaries -ectasis expansion tel + angio + ectesis -form structure, shape ossiform ossi + form resembling the form of bone -gen production of carcinogenesis production of cancer carcino + gen + sis -ician -ist one charged with or skilled in pediatrician ped + i + atrician specialist in treating children's diseases -ion act of, state of, result of incision in + cis + ion act of cutting or result of cutting -meter measure thermometer measurer of heat therm + o + meter -ology science of dermatology dermat + o + logy science of skin and its diseases -or that which, one who receptor, inventor re + cept + or that which receives, one who invents -phylaxis protection prophylaxis for protection pro + phylaxis -poiesis production, hematopoiesis production of blood cells formation of hemet + o + poiesis -sthenia strength asthenia loss of strength a + sthen + ia -ure act or the result of action closure clos + ure result of a closing action

2 Table 2: Suffixes that change a root word to an adjective -ac pertaining to celiac celi + ac pertaining to the abdominal region -acy that which is, fallacy that which is false pertaining to fall + acy -ad toward, in the cephalad toward the head direction of cephal + ad -al pertaining to digital pertaining to finger or toe digit + al -an pertaining to, related ovarian pertaining to the ovary to, belonging to ovari + an -ar of or related to valvular related to a valve valvul + ar -ary related to, pertaining biliary pertaining to bile to bili + ary -ate that which is acted on separate to keep apart separ + ate -facient making or causing to febrifacient causing a fever become febri + facient -fugal driving or travelling centrifugal centri + fugal moving away from the center -ic pertaining to colonic pertaining to the colon colon + ic -ile having the qualities febrile feverish of or the capability for febr + ile -ious capable of, causing infectious in + fect + ious capable of being transmitted -ive that which performs or tends toward tardive disease tard + ive disease with late-appearing symptoms -oid like ameboid ameobalike ameob + oid -ory process of, pertaining sensory pertaining to the senses -ose to, function of full of, having the qualities of, sugar sens + ory comatose coma + t + ose lactose, fructose, sucrose, galactose having the qualities of a coma -ous pertaining to venous pertaining to a vein ven + ous -some tendency, like tiresome tiring tire + some -trophic related to nutrition, dystrophic faulty nutrition growth, development dys + troph + ic -tropic turning toward, hydrotropic turned toward water

3 changing, acting on -y having the nature or quality of hydr + o + trop + ic gonadotropic gonad + o + trop + ic gouty gout + y acting on the gonads goutlike Table 3: Suffixes that denote a state or condition -agra severe pain, seizure podagra severe pain in the foot pod + agra -algia pain neuralgia nerve pain neur + alg + ia -atresia abnormal closure proctatresia closed anus procto + atres + ia -cele swelling, tumor cystocele hernia of urinary bladder cyst + o + cele -chezia, discharge of foregin hematochezia passage of bloody stool -chesia substance hemat + o + chez + ia -cyst bladderlike sac hydrocyst cyst containing water hydr + o + cyst -dom state of being martyrdom state of being a martyr martyr + dom -dynia pain pleurodynia pleur + o + dyn + ia -ema swelling, distension emphysema emphys + em + a -ful full of, characterized by stressful stress + ful -hood state, quality, childhood condition of child + hood -ia a diseased condition anuria an + ur + ia -iasis a diseased condition cholelithiasis chole + lith + ia + sis -id condition flaccid flacc + id -ism condition, act of, dwarfism process of dwarf + ism -itis inflammation phlebitis phleb + it is pain on the side of the chest distension of airsacs in lungs causing srress state of being a child condition of lack of urine condition of bile stones condition of softness a condition of being a dwarf inflammation of a vein

4 -ity quality of, state of obesity obes + ity -less without, not capable odorless of odor + less -malacia softening osteomalacia osteo + malac + ia -ness quality of state of illness ill + ness -oma tumor carcinoma carcin + om + a -osis action, state, process, halitosis condition halit + o + sis -pathy suffering, disease cardiopathy cardi + o + path +y -penia deficiency, lack leukopenia leuk + o + pen + ia -philia love of hemophilia hem + o + phil + ia -phobia fear of claustrophobia claustr + o + phob + ia -ptosis dropping, downward carpoptosis displacement carpo + ptosis -rrhage, bursting forth hemorrhage -rrhagia hemo + rrhage -rrhea flow, discharge galactorrhea galact + o + rrhea -rrhexis rupture splenorrhexis splen + o + rrhexis -ship state of, quality of hardship hard + ship -stasis satte of being at a hemostatsis standstill hemo + stasis -staxis hemorrhage epistaxis epi + staxis -tion act of, result of, elongation process of e + long + ate + ion -tonia streching, putting hypertonia unddr tension hyper + ton + ia -vert turn divert di + vert state of being obese without odor softening of bone state of being ill malignant tumor condition of having bad breath heart disease lack of white blood cells love of blood, a blood disease fear of confinement wrist-drop bursting forth of blood excessive flow of milk rupture of the spleen state of being difficult to endure stagnation of blood hemorrhage from the nose, nosebleed process of making longer excessive tension turn aside

5 Table 4: Suffixes that indicate a surgical or diagnostic procedure -centesis puncture of a cavity paracentesis para + centesis puncture of a space around an organ or within a cavity to remove fluid -cis cut excise cut out ex + cise -clasis, breaking up bacterioclasis breaking up of bacteria -clasia bacterio + clasis -cleisis closure colpocleisis colpo + cleisis operation for closure of vagina -desis binding, fusion tenodesis fixation of loose tendon ten + o + desis -ectomy excision, cutting out laryngectomy laryng + ectom + y removal of larynx -gram, -graphy -lysis -ostomy act or method of recording setting free, dissolution creation of a mouth or opening radography radio + graph + y adipolysis adip + o + lysis colostomy col + so + tom + y -otomy cutting into tracheotomy trache + o + tom + y -pexy fixation sigmoidoscopy sigm + oid + scop + y -plasty molding or shaping osteoplasty osteo + plast + y -rrhaphy -scope, -scopy closure of by suturing, repair looking at, examining cystorrhaphy cyst + rrhaph + y bronchoscope broncho + scope -sect cut disect di + sect -tome instrument for cutting craniotome cranio + tome -tripsy rubbing, crushing neurotripsy neur + o + trips + y process of taking an x-ray decomposition of fats creating a new opening between bowel and abdominal wall cut into the windpipe fixation of the large intestine plastic surgery on bone suture of bladder instrument used to view inside the breathing tubes cut into parts instrument for cutting into the skull surgical crushing of a nerve

6 Table 5: Dimiunitive suffixes that indicate smallness -cle small, little caruncle small fleshy growth -cule small, little molecule smallest part of an atom -culum small, little tuberculum small nodule or knot -culus small, little calculus small stone -et small, little facet small plane surface -ium small, little bronchium small bronchial tube -ole small, little arteriole minute artery -olum small, little mesenteriolum small mesentery -olus small, little bronchiolus smallest subdivision of bronchus Table 6: Chemical compounds indicated by a word ending Suffix Meaning Chemical Example -ase enzyme lipase -ate salt made from acid sulfate -ene unsaturated compound benzene -ide binary compound oxide -in, -ine halogen, alkaloid, or nitrogen quinine base -ol oil cholestrol -ose carbohydrate fructose -yl matter, substance, radical ethyl Table 7: Word endings that form plurals Singular Plural Example -a -ae lamina, laminae -en -ina lumen, lumina -ex -ices index, indices -ies -ietes paries, parietes -is -es psychisis, psychoses -is -ides epididymis, epididymides -ma -mata trauma, traumata -nx -nges phalanx, phalanges -on -a criterion, criteria -s -tes pons, pontes -u -ua comu, comua -um -a diverticulum, diverticula -us -i bacillus, bacilli -us -era viscus, viscera -us -ora corpus, corpora -x -ces calyx, calyces

7 Table 8: Plural of nouns Singular Plural Example -e -a or -ae aperture, apertura venule, venulae -os or -us -i locus, loci focus, foci -on or -um -es or -a bacterium, bacteria chalazion, chalazia

MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY. Complete! Second Edition CHAPTER. Understanding Suffixes. Content Review Slides

MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY. Complete! Second Edition CHAPTER. Understanding Suffixes. Content Review Slides MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY Complete! Second Edition CHAPTER 2 Understanding Suffixes Content Review Slides Learning Objectives Define and spell the suffixes often used in medical terminology. Identify suffixes