Medical Suffixes

A list of Greek and Latin suffix meanings


Eugene M. McCarthy, Ph.D.
Suffix Search


Some common
suffixes:
Meanings of some
common suffixes:
Suffix meaning affected by
Suffix meaning ape
Suffix meaning attachment
Suffix meaning attraction
Suffix meaning bacterium
Suffix meaning cell
Suffix meaning cutting
Suffix meaning condition
Suffix meaning disease
Suffix meaning enzyme
Suffix meaning human
Suffix meaning killer
Suffix meaning knowledge
Suffix meaning pain
Suffix meaning leaf
Suffix meaning plant
Suffix meaning puncture
Suffix meaning tree
Suffix meaning woman
Suffix ac
Suffix ad
Suffix agog
Suffix anthropus
Suffix asthenia
Suffix bacter
Suffix cardia
Suffix cide
Suffix clast
Suffix coel
Suffix cule
Suffix cyst
Suffix cyte
Suffix dendron
Suffix derm
Suffix dont
Suffix duct
Suffix dynia
Suffix facient
Suffix form
Suffix iasis
Suffix philia
Suffix phobia
Suffix pedic
Suffix phyll
Suffix ptile
Suffix pathy
Suffix rhiza
Suffix graph
Suffix schisis
Suffix sclerosis
Suffix graph
Suffix sis
Suffix some
Suffix stat
Suffix tactic
Suffix therm
Suffix topic
blank
Medical Suffixes is a section of Suffix Prefix Dictionary, the most comprehensive online dictionary of biological and medical suffixes and prefixes. The suffix lists accessed from the links below provide definitions, examples, and etymologies for a wide variety of suffixes used in biology and medicine. Many of the examples are cross-linked to their definitions in the biology dictionary on this website. To find the meaning of a suffix, click on its first letter below (you can also search the suffix dictionary from the Suffix Dictionary Search Page).
SUFFIXES STARTING WITH:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U-Z


Suffixes used to
to indicate conditions
and disorders:
Suffix meaning attraction
Suffix meaning appetite
Suffix meaning color
Suffix meaning dislocation
Suffix meaning eversion
Suffix meaning fear
Suffix meaning hernia
Suffix meaning hearing
Suffix meaning swelling
Suffix meaning temperature
Suffix meaning tumor
Suffix meaning vision
Suffix meaning weakness
Suffix meaning wasting
Medical suffixes
for affected body
parts/components:
Suffix meaning arm
Suffix meaning bladder
Suffix meaning blood
Suffix meaning brain
Suffix meaning cecum
Suffix meaning chamber
Suffix meaning cord
Suffix meaning eyelids
Suffix meaning eyes
Suffix meaning feet
Suffix meaning fingers
Suffix meaning ear
Suffix meaning forearm
Suffix meaning hand
Suffix meaning heart
Suffix meaning heel
Suffix meaning lips
Suffix meaning mind
Suffix meaning nails
Suffix meaning navel
Suffix meaning sac
Suffix meaning shin
Suffix meaning skin
Suffix meaning skull
Suffix meaning spine
Suffix meaning testicles
Suffix meaning teeth
Suffix meaning toes
Suffix meaning tube
Suffix meaning urine
Suffix meaning vagina
Suffix meaning wrist
What is a Suffix?

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!



Medical Suffixes — the Internet's most comprehensive medical and biological suffixes list!


Biology Dictionary | Famous Biologists | Biology News | Suffix Prefix Dictionary | Home











Medical Suffixes →


blank