Biology Prefixes - C

cac- or caco- [from Greek kakos bad, evil, pernicious] Bad, evil (caconym).

cali- or calo- or calli- or callo- [from Greek kalos beautiful] In taxonomic names: beautiful, beauty, white (Calliandra).

cani- [from Latin canis dog] Denotes dog (canine).

capill- or capilla- [from Latin capillus hair] Primarily in taxonomic names: hair, hairlike (capillaceum).

capillar- or capillaro- [from capill- + -ary] Capillary (capillaritis).

carcin- or carcino- [from Greek karkinoma cancer] Cancer (carcinogen, carcinoma).

carcinomat- or carcinomato- [from Greek karkinomata cancers] Carcinoma (carcinomatophobia).

cardi- or cardia- or cardio- [from Greek cor, cordis heart] Heart; heart action (cardiotomy).

carp- or carpo- [from Greek karpos fruit, wrist] (1) fruit (Carpobalsamum); (2) pertaining to the carpus (carpoptosis).

cat- or cata- or cath- [from Greek kata down] Down, downward (catabolism, catarrhine).

caud- or cauda- or caudi- [from Latin cauda tail] Tail (caudad).

caul- or cauli- or caulo- [Latin caulis stem] Stem, stalk (acaulescent).

cec- or ceco- [from Latin caecum blind -- referring to the fact that the cecum has a single outlet] Cecum (cecectomy).

celi- or celio- [from Greek koilia belly] Belly, abdomen (celiocolpotomy).

cellul- or cellulo- [from cell + -ule] Cellulose (cellulolytic).

cent- or centi- [from Latin centenum one hundred] One hundredth (centimorgan).

cephal- or cephalo- [from Greek kephale head] Relating to the head (cephalodynia).

cer- or cero- [from Latin cera wax] Wax, earwax (ceraceous).

cerat- or cerato- Rare form of kerat(o)-.

cerc- or cerco- [from Greek kerkos tail] Tailed (Cercopithecidae).

cerebell- or cerebello- [from cerebellum Latin diminutive of cerebrum brain] Cerebellum (cerebellospinal).

cerebr- or cerebri- or cerebro- [from Latin cerebrum brain] Brain (cerebrotonia).

cervic- or cervico- [Latin cervix neck, a narrow connecting structure] (1) pertaining to the neck (cervicobrachial); (2) pertaining to the cervix uteri (cervicovesical).

chaet- or chaeto- [Greek chaite hair] Hair(y), bristle, bristly (chaetognath, chaetotactic).

cheil- or cheilo Form of chil-.

cheir- or cheiro- or chiro- or chiro- [Greek cheir hand, paw] Pertaining to the hand (cheiropompholyx).

chem- or chemo- (1) chemistry, or a molecule or chemical (chemoreceptor); (2) drugs (chemotherapy).

chil- or chilo [Greek cheilos lip] Lip(s) (cheilectropion).

chlor- or chloro [Greek chloros green] Green or yellow green (chlorophyll, chloroplast).

chol- or chole- or choli- [Greek chole bile] Bile, gall (cholemesis, cholera).

cholecyst- or cholecysto- [chol- + cyst-] Referring to the gallbladder (cholecystopexy).

chondr- or chondri- or chondro- [from Greek chondros cartilage] Cartiliage or gristle (chondrosarcoma, chondrin).

chondri- or chondrio- [from Greek chondrion small grain] Of, relating to, or like a grain (chondriosome).

chori- or chorio- [from Greek chorion skin] (1) chorion (chorioadenoma); (2) choroid (choriocele).

chord- or chordo- [from Greek chordos string] Denotes an anatomical cord (Chordata).

choroid- or choroido- [from Greek chorioeides skinlike] Denotes the choroid coat of the eye (choroidocyclitis).

chrom- or chromo- or chromat- or chromato- [from Greek chromos colored] Color, colored (chromophil, chromatophore).

chron- or chrono- [from Greek chronos time] Pertaining to time (chronobiology, chronospecies).

chrys- or chryso- [from Greek chrysos gold] Golden, yellow (chrysalis).

cili- or cilii- or cilio- [from Latin cilium eyelid] (1) in animals: eyelash (ciliary); (2) in plants: having minute hairlike processes (ciliatum); (3) in microorganisms: having cilia, the hairlike processes found on many cells (ciliophora).

cin- or cino- [from Greek kin- movement] Denotes movement or action (cinamatics).

circum- [Latin circum about, around, round about, near, on both sides] Around, about, surrounding (circumvallate).

cis- [from Latin cis- on, to this, near side of] On this side, on the nearer side, nearby. Most often used in genetics in the term cis-acting, which means that the activity of a locus affects only the molecule of DNA where that locus resides.

cleist- or cleisto- or clist- or clisto- [from Greek kleistos closed] Closed (cleistogamy).

clin- or clino- [from Greek kline bed] Bed (clinic, clinician, clinostatic).

clitorid- or clitorido- [from Greek kleitoris -- meaning uncertain] Denotes the clitoris (clitoridectomy).

cnind- or cnindo- [from Greek knide nettle, sea nettle] Denotes Cnidaria or a cnidarian (cnidocyst).

co- [from Latin co- together, with, common] With, together, mutually (coenzyme, cofactor).

coel- or coelo- [from Greek koilos hollow] Chamber, cavity, ventricle (coeloblastula).

cole- or coleo- [from Greek koleos sheath] Sheath (Coleoptera).

col- Form of co- used before stems or suffixes beginning with the letter l (colliquation).

col- or coli- or colo- or colon- or colono- [from Greek kolon colon] Of or pertaining to the colon (colonoscopic, coliform).

colp- or colpo- [from Greek kolpos vagina] Denotes the vagina (colpocele).

com- Form of co- used before stems or suffixes beginning with b, p, or m. (commissure).

con- Form of co- used before stems or suffixes beginning with letters other than b or l or m or n or p or r, when the accent is not on the first syllable of the word (congenital).

con- or cono- [from Latin conus cone] Cone (conodont).

contra- [Latin contra against, opposite, opposed, contrary] Against, preventing (contraceptive).

conio- [from Greek konis dust] Denotes dust (coniology).

copr- or copro- [from Greek kopros excrement] Denotes feces, excrement (coprolite).

cor- Form of co- used before stems or suffixes beginning with r (correlation).

cor- or core- or coreo- [from Greek kore pupil] Pupil or iris (corectomy).

cord- or cordo- [from Greek chorde cord] Denotes an anatomical cord (cordopexy)

cord- or cordi- or cordo- [from Latin cor, cordis heart] Heart (cordiform).

corn- or corne- or corni- [from Latin cornus horn, hoof, beak, claw] Denotes a horn or horniness (corneous).

cost- [from Latin costa rib; side, flank, back] Of or relating to the ribs, near the ribs (costalgia).

counter- [from Latin contra against, opposite, opposed, contrary] Contrary, against, opposite, adverse (counterselection).

cox- or coxo- [from Latin coxa hip (of human), haunch (of animal), hip bone] Denotes the hip or hip joint (coxitis).

crani- or cranio- [from Greek cranion skull] Of or relating to the skull (craniofacial).

cry- or cryo- or kryo- [from Greek kryos freezing cold] Cold, frozen (cryobiology, cryophile).

crym- or crymo- [from Greek kryos freezing cold] Cold, frost (crymotherapy).

crypt- or crypto- [from Greek kryptos hidden] Hidden, covered, invisible (cryptorchidism, cryptozoon).

cune- or cuneo- [from Latin cuneus, cunei wedge] Wedge-shaped (cuneiform, cuneate).

cut- or cuti-or cutaneo- [from Latin cutis skin] Skin, integument (cutaneous), cutaneophalangeal).

cyan- or cyano- [from Greek kyanos dark blue, lapis lazuli] Dark blue (cyanephidrosis).

cycl- or cyclo- [from Greek kyklos circle] (1) circular or cyclical (cyclothymia); (2) of or pertaining to the eye's ciliary body (cyclochoroiditis).

cyes- or cyesi- or cyesio- [from Greek kyesis pregnancy] Denotes pregnancy (cyesedema).

cyn- or cyno- [from Greek kyon dog] Denotes dog (cynocephalous).

cyph- or cypho- Rare form of kyph(o)-.

cyst- or cysti- or cysto- [from Greek kystis bladder, sac] (1) pertaining to the gallbladder (cystocolostomy); (2) pertaining to the urinary bladder (cystoureteritis); (3) denoting the presence of cyst(s) (cystoepithelioma); (4) denoting the presence of a sac, pouch, or bladder of any kind (Cystophora).

cyt- or cyto- [from Greek kytos hollow vessel] (1) cell (cyturia); (2) cytoplasm (cytolysis).