-ac, -al, -ary (also -ic and -ous) - related or pertaining to (the ending makes a word into an adjective): cardiac (related to the heart), renal (relating to the kidneys), coronary (related to the arteries surrounding the heart like a crown) -algiapain: analgesic (taking away pain), myalgia (muscle pain . We mentioned above that vaso- refers to blood vessel, so vasoconstriction is the narrowing of blood vessels. Click below to download your flashcards & study guides to SAVE TIME studying, PASS your classes, and SUCCEED in medicine! Therefore, tachypnea is fast or rapid breathing. For example, cardio-pulmo-nary means pertaining to the heart and lungs; gastro-entero-logy means the study of the stomach and intestines. All rights reserved. Compare them to the examples of use in medical terms. Therefore, quadriplegia means paralysis of all 4 limbs. Definitions of medical term examples from: This page titled 1.2: Prefixes and Suffixes is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Andrea Nelson and Katherine Greene via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request. Lets wrap it up with a group of general suffixes you are likely to encounter. Think about all of the medical specialties out there in terms of specialty physicians. We mentioned above that cardio- means heart. You will learn the meanings for common medical suffixes including -osis, -oma, -itis, -ism, -plasty, -al, -tomy, -gram, -ic, -ologist, -spasm, and many more! Suffixes are not always explicitly stated in the definition of a word. 107 terms. H. quixotic new birth/ newborn - birth to four weeks. The opposite of vasoconstriction is vasodilation, which is the widening of blood vessels. We learned in the prefix lecture that hemi- means half or one side. An autopsy is the examination of a body after death to determine a cause or to examine the extent of a disease. creation; origination; used as a word termination joined to an element indicating the thing created, e.g., carcinogenesis. Arthro- refers to joint, so arthroscopy is the use of a scope to visualize the inside of a joint. By recognizing common word parts and their meanings, you'll be able to decipher the definitions of hundreds of medical terms. The combining vowel is the vowel that follows the root word and connects the root to another root or a suffix. Medical suffixes are series of letters that complete and give meaning to a word. Please confirm. This a medical condition which people usually battles with . This is also a medical process, it has to do with the aspiration of fluid from the pericardium. Lack of (without) sufficeint healthy red blood cells in the blood, Condition of increased production of urine, Substance or agent that produces or causes malformations, radiographic image of electrical activity in the heart, instrument used to record electrical activity within the heart, process of recording electrical activity of the heart, Condition of stones in the common bile duct, state of excessive production of thyroid hormone, Process of measuring the function of the lungs by measuring inhalation and exhalation of breath, process of viewing living tissue to examine for presence, cause or extend of disease, abnormal condition of excessive production of red blood cells, slight paralysis of one side of the body (right or left), abnormal reduction in number of (healthy) red blood cells produced, surgical fixation of they vagina by suturing it to the abdominal wall, excessive or uncontrolled bleeding from the blood vessels, Excessive bleeding from the nasal cavity (nose bleed) also called epistaxis, excessive flow or discharge from the nasal cavity (runny nose). Always seek the advice of your doctor or health care provider. Start by reviewing the most common prefixes. We learned in the prefix lecture that tachy- means fast or rapid. We mentioned above that neuro- refers to nerves. The following 3 terms look the same and have similar meanings, so lets break them down. Alternatively, the suffix may simply make the word a noun or adjective. You may be familiar with some of these from words outside the realm of medicine. Root: The root gives a term its essential meaning. There are several parts to learning medical terminology. Identifying Word Parts in Medical Terms, 5. Medical Terminology: An Illustrated Guide. 2004;97(4):1878. A Short Course in Medical Terminology. -ostomy = To surgically create an artificial opening or stoma. An electrocardiogram is a recording of the electrical activity of the heart. Suffixes in medical terms are common to English language suffixes. One part is to consider and analyze words by breaking them down into a prefix, a root, and a suffix.. Prefix In Medical Terminology. Some medical terms may also have more than one root word combined together. MedicineNet does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Suffix: A suffice . Select the suffix that means hernia, swelling, or protrusion.