Medical Suffixes is a section of Suffix Prefix Dictionary, the best online dictionary of biological and medical suffixes and prefixes. Note that the current page is intended for visitors who want to look up the meanings of suffixesonly. If you want to look up prefix, as well as suffix meanings, click here to go to Suffix Prefix Dictionary.
To find the meaning of a suffix, click on its first letter below. The suffixes are listed alphabetically, which allows you to look them up even when you're not sure about their spellings. If you do know the exact spelling of the suffix you're looking for, you can use the search engine at the bottom of this page (which searches only the suffix lists on this website). The search engine can also function as a reverse dictionary (for example, searching the list of suffixes with fastening will locate the suffix -pexy).
A suffix is a letter or series of letters attached to the end of a word, word base, or prefix to produce a derivative word with a new meaning. There are many suffixes used by biologists in constructing scientific names and terminology. For example, in the word termitary, the suffix -ary, meaning connected with or belonging to, is attached to the end of the word termite (after dropping the e). So a termitary, a mound where termites live, is a place belonging to termites.
In general, the suffixes used in constructing scientific terminology and med terms are either of Latin or Greek derivation. In constructing these terms, nearly always, a Latin prefix goes with a Latin suffix, and a Greek prefix goes with a Greek suffix.
Spelling Rules
When a biological or medical suffix beginning with a consonant is added to a stem or prefix ending with a consonant, a vowel, usually -o-, is added as a connector.
Biological and medical terms of Greek or Latin origin ending in -a regularly drop the -a before a suffix beginning with a vowel:
pleura + -al = pleural
urea + -ic = ureic
lamina + -ectomy = laminectomy
If you learn the various biological and medical suffixes and prefixes, you won't be overwhelmed trying to memorize the innumerable polysyllabic words that you'll meet with in your courses. Soon you'll even find that you're understanding many words without looking up their definitions. Many, many biological and medical terms can be constructed from the relatively short list of prefixes and suffixes defined in this dictionary. As you become really familiar with them, you may end up making up some words yourself!
Biological and Medical Suffixes Search Engine
If you prefer, you can use the suffix finder below to find suffix meanings. To use it, enter a search term in the box and click the Search button. The engine will then search through all of the suffix lists on this site and return any matches (to use a search engine that searches not only for prefixes, but also for suffixes, click here). Keep in mind that this search only finds exact matches. So your search term has to be spelled correctly. When you click on the Search button, links to each match found to your search query will then be displayed. Click on the links to access the information you seek. Note: This search engine is provided by Google, so ads may appear beside your search results.
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