This section will describe common word components related to the endocrine system. These word components help build definitions for many medical terms. Other common prefixes are described in Chapter 1.3, and common suffixes are described in Chapter 1.5.

Prefixes Related to the Endocrine System

• eu-: Good, normal
• hyper-: Above, excessive
• hypo-: Below, under, deficient
• oxy-: Rapid, sharp, acid
• pan-: All, total
• para-: Around, beside, beyond, abnormal
• poly-: Many or much
• syn-: Joined, together
• tetr-: Four
• tri-: Three

Word Roots With Combining Vowels Related to the Endocrine System

• acr/o: Extremities, height
• aden/o: Gland
• adren/o: Adrenal glands
• adrenal/o: Adrenal glands
• calc/i: Calcium
• cortic/o: Cortex, outer layer of a body organ
• dips/o: Thirst
• endocrin/o: Endocrine
• glyc/o: Sugar
• home/o: Sameness
• kal/i: Potassium
• myx/o: Mucus
• natr/o: Sodium
• parathyroid/o: Parathyroid gland
• phys/o: Growing
• pituitar/o: Pituitary gland
• somat/o: Body
• thyr/o: Thyroid gland
• thyroid/o: Thyroid gland

Suffixes Related to the Endocrine System

• -drome: Run, running together
• -ectomy: Excision, cut out
• -emia: In the blood
• -ia: Condition of, abnormal state, diseased state
• -ism: State of
• -itis: Inflammation
• -logist: Specialist who studies and treats
• -logy: Study of
• -megaly: Enlarged, enlargement
• -oid: Resembling
• -oma: Tumor
• -pathy: Disease
• -plasia: Condition of, formation, development, growth
• -tomy: Incision, cut into