Suffix Dictionary B-C

Meanings of medical suffixes

EUGENE M. MCCARTHY, PHD

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Words Prefixes Suffixes Roots
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-bacter Bacterial organism (Enterobacter).

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

-batrachus [Greek batrachos frog] Frog, toad (Megalobatrachus).

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

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

-biotic [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, endosymbiotic).

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

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

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

bos- [Greek bos cattle] Denotes cow, ox or cattle (hippobos).

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

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

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



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

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

-caris [Latin caris shrimp, prawn] In taxonomic names: Shrimp, prawn (Mirocaris).

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

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

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

-cele Variant spelling of -coel.

-cene [Greek kainos new, fresh] In names of geologic periods: recent (Oligocene).

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

-cephalia or -cephalism or -cephalus or -cephaly [Latin cephalicus pertaining to the head] Condition of having the sort of head(s), or of having the number of heads, indicated by the stem or prefix (acephalia, hydrocephalus).

-cephalic or -cephaloid or -cephalous [Latin cephalicus pertaining to the head] Pertaining or relating to a condition of having the sort of head(s), or of having the number of heads, indicated by the stem or prefix (hydrocephalic, hydrocephaloid, acephalous).

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

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

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

-ceti /-SEE-tee/ [Latin cetus whale, dolphin] In taxonomic names: Whales (Odontoceti).

-cetus /-SEE-təs/ [Latin cetus whale, dolphin] In taxonomic names: Whale, dolphin (Ambulocetus).

-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).

-cheiria or -chiria [Greek cheir hand, paw] Condition of the hand(s), or handedness, of the type indicated by the stem or prefix (acheiria).

-chirurgia [Latin chirurgia surgery] Surgery of the type indicated by the stem or prefix (this suffix now seems to appear only in archaic terms such as pneumochirurgia).

-choerus [Greek choeros pig] In taxonomic names: pig (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 [Greek chordos string] Denotes an anatomical cord (notochord).

-chore [Greek chorein spread, advance] Plant spreading by the means indicated by the stem or prefix (zoochore).

-chore [Greek choros place] Place, location (kinetochore).

-chorous [Greek chorein spread, advance] Spreading by the means indicated by the stem or prefix (zoochorous).

-chory (pl chories) [Greek chorein spread, advance] Spreading of a plant by the means indicated by the stem or prefix (zoochory).

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

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

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

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

-chymia [Greek chymos juice] A condition of the chyme of the type indicated by the stem or prefix (ischochymia).

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

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

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

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

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

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

-clinium [Greek kline couch] Receptacle (conoclinium).

-cliny (pl -clinies) [modern construction] The state of being inherited from (matricliny).

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

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

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

-coccus [Greek kokkos berry] Indicates a bacterium with a spherical shape (Streptococcus).

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

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

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

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

-costal [Latin costa rib] Rib (xiphocostal).

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

-cranial [Greek cranion skull] Of or pertaining to the skull (postcranial).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Search for suffixes >>

Words Prefixes Suffixes Roots
 a | b-c | d | e | f-g | h-j 

 k-m | n-o | p | r-s | t-z 

Browse suffixes >>

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