Biological and Medical Suffixes B-C

-bacter Bacterial organism (Enterobacter).

-basia or -basis [from Greek badisis walking, going] Denotes walking or going of the sort indicated by the stem or prefix (abasia).

-bia or -bian or -biont or -bium [from Greek bios way of life] One(s) living in the way indicated by the stem or prefix (amphibian, endosymbiont).

-biosis [from Greek bios way of life] Way of life indicated by the stem or prefix (anabiosis).

-biotic [from Greek bios way of life] (1) of or relating to life in the way indicated by the stem or prefix (antibiotic) (2) living as indicated by the stem or prefix (cryptobiotic).

-blast [from Greek blastos bud] Initial stage of development, bud, germ, sprout, embryonic cell (trophoblast).

-blastic [from Greek blastos bud] Sprouting, germinating, or developing initially in the way indicated by the stem or prefix (diploblastic, triploblastic).

-blasty [from Greek blastos bud] Germination, sprouting or initial development of the type indicated by the stem or prefix (triploblasty).

-blepharon (1) [from Greek blepharon eyelid] eyelid (ankyloblepharon); (2) [from Greek blepharis eyelash] eyelash, cilium (this sense is rare -- -blepharon usually refers to the eyelid).

-brachial [from Latin brachium arm] Of or relating to an arm (antebrachial).

-branch or -branchia or -branchiae [from Greek branchia gills] Gill(s), one(s) with gills of the type indicated by the stem or prefix (nudibranch).

-calcaneal [from Latin calcaneus heel] Of or pertaining to the calcaneus (fibulocalcaneal).

-cardia[from Latin cor, cordis heart] (1) having the type of heart or condition of the heart indicated by the stem or prefix (dextrocardia); (2) in taxonomic names: one(s) having the type of heart(s) indicated by the stem or prefix (Diplocardia).

-cardium [from Latin cor, cordis heart] A tissue or structure related to the heart in the way indicated by the stem or prefix (pericardium).

-carp [from Greek karpos fruit, wrist] (1) a plant or fungus having fruit of the type indicated by the stem or prefix (cleistocarp); (2) a part of a fruit or plant ovary (pericarp).

-carpal [from Greek karpos fruit, wrist] Relating to the carpus (radiocarpal).

-cecal [from Latin caecum blind -- referring to the fact that the cecum has a single outlet] Denotes the cecum (ileocecal valve).

-cele [from Greek kele tumor, hernia] Swelling, tumor, hernia (cardiocele, choriocele).

-cele Variant spelling of -coel.

-centesis [from Greek kentesis puncture] Surgical puncture of the thing indicated by the stem or prefix (oculocentesis).

-ceras or -cerus [from Greek keras horn] Horned one (Acanthoceras).

-cercal [from Greek kerkos tail] Tailed (cephalocercal).

-cercy [from Greek kerkos tail] Tail formation, of a particular type (heterocercy).

-chaeta or -chaetum or -chaetus or -chete (pl chaetae or -chaetes) [Greek chaite hair] haired or bristled one(s) of the type indicated by the stem or prefix (spirochete).

-cheilia (also, rarely, -chilia) [Greek cheilos lip] A condition of the lip(s) (acheilia).

-choerus [Greek choeros pig] Pig; common in generic names (Agriochoerus, Hylochoerus).

-cholecystis [chol- + -cystis] Condition of the gallbladder indicated by the stem or prefix (hydrocholecystis).

-chondrion (pl -chondria) [Greek chondrion small grain] Of, relating to, or like a grain (mitochondrion).

-chord [from Greek chordos string] Denotes an anatomical cord (notochord).

-chroia [from Greek chromos color] Coloration (xanthochroia).

-chroic or -chromos or -chroous [from Greek chroma color] Colored in the way indicated by the stem or prefix (euchroic).

-chromia or -chromy [from Greek chromos colored] Condition of pigmentation indicated by the stem or prefix (achromia).

-chronia or -chrony [from Greek chronos time] Time-related condition of the type indicated by the stem or prefix (heterochronia, synchrony).

-cidal [from Latin caedere to chop, hew, murder, kill] Causing death to the thing indicated by the stem or prefix (fungicidal).

-cide [from Latin caedere to chop, hew, murder, kill] A thing causing death to whatever is indicated by the stem or prefix (fungicide).

-clasia or -clasis [from Greek clastos broken] Breaking, breaking up (hemoclasia, hemoclasis).

-clast [from Greek clastos broken] One, or that which, breaks the thing indicated by the stem or prefix (cranioclast).

-clastic [from Greek clastos broken] Denotes breaking or disintegration (odontoclastic).

-cleisis (pl -cleises) or -clisis (pl clises) [from Greek kleistos closed] Closure, obstruction, occlusion (enteroclisis).

-cnemia /-kuh-NEEM-(ee)-yuh/ or -cnemism /-kuh-NEEM-iz-uhm/ [from Greek kneme shin] Condition of the shin or leg of the type indicated by the stem or prefix (bucnemia, platycnemia).

-cnemic /-kuh-NEEM-ick/ [from Greek kneme shin] Having a condition of the shin or leg of the type indicated by the stem or prefix (platycnemic).

-cnemus /-kuh-NEEM-uhs/ [from Greek kneme shin] In taxonomic names: one having a condition of the leg of the type indicated by the stem or prefix (Eleutherodactylus rhabdocnemus).

-coel or -coele [from Greek koilos hollow] Having a chamber, cavity, hollow, or ventricle of the type or number indicated by the stem or prefix (blastocoel).

-coline or -colous [from Latin colere to live in a place, to inhabit] Living in or on the thing indicated by the prefix (paludicolous).

-colpos [from Greek kolpos vagina] Disorder of the vagina of the type indicated by the stem or prefix (hematocolpos).

-coma or -come [from Greek kome hair] Having hair of the type indicated by the stem or prefix (brachycome).

-cornis [from Latin cornua horn, hoof, beak, claw] Horned or horny of the way indicated by the stem or prefix (in taxonomic names) (Diceros bicornis).

-crania [from Greek cranion skull] Condition of the skull of the type indicated by the stem or prefix (chondrocrania).

-crine [from Greek krinein to secrete] To secrete (endocrine).

-cubital [from Latin cubitum elbow, forearm, ulna] Related to the ulna or forearm (brachiocubital).

-cubital [from Latin cubere to lie in bed recline] Related to or caused by lying in bed (decubital)).

-cule [from the diminutive ending Latin -culum] Small (molecule, saccule).

-cyst [from Greek kystis bladder, sac] (1) a sac of the type indicated by the stem or prefix (blastocyst); (2) a cyst of the type indicated by the stem or prefix (endocyst, pyocyst).

-cystic [from Greek kystis bladder, sac] Relating to the bladder or gallbladder (hepatocystic).

-cystis [from Greek kystis bladder, sac] A condition of the bladder or gallbladder of the type indicated by the stem or prefix (cholecystis).

-cyte [from Greek kytos hollow vessel] Cell of the type indicated by the stem or prefix (leukocyte, lymphocyte).

-cytial [from Greek kytos hollow vessel] Pertaining to a cell or cells of the type indicated by the stem or prefix (syncytial).

-cytium (pl -cytia) [from Greek kytos hollow vessel] A cell (syncytium).