This section will describe common word components related to the lymphatic and immune systems. 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 Lymphatic and Immune Systems

• a-: Absence of, without
• an-: Absence of, without
• ana-: Up, upward or back, backward
• brady-: Slow
• inter-: Between
• pan-: All

Word Roots Related to the Lymphatic and Immune Systems

• aden/o: Gland
• immun/o: Immune, immunity
• lymph/o: Lymph, lymph tissue
• lymphaden/o: Lymph gland, lymph node
• myel/o: Bone marrow, spinal cord
• phag/o: To eat
• splen/o: Spleen
• thym/o: Thymus gland
• tox/o: Poison

Suffixes Related to the Lymphatic and Immune Systems

• -ac: One affected with
• -apheresis: Withdrawal or removal
• -cyte: Cell
• -ectomy: Excision, cut out
• -itis: Inflammation
• -logist: Specialist who studies and treats
• -logy: Study of
• -megaly: Enlarged, enlargement
• -oid: Resembling
• -oma: Tumor, swelling
• -osis: Abnormal condition
• -pathy: Disease
• -penia: Decrease, deficiency
• -poiesis: Formation, production
• -rrhaphy: Suturing