1.5 Common Suffixes

The suffix is at the end of the word and adds meaning. When building a definition of a medical term from its components, start with the meaning of the suffix. For example, hepat/itis is defined as “inflammation of the liver.”

Suffixes often indicate:

  • Procedures: For example, -scopy means “visual examination”
  • Conditions: For example, -itis means “inflammation”
  • Diseases: For example, -oma means “tumor”

Common Suffixes

Here is a list of commonly used suffixes in medical terms. It is helpful to memorize these common suffixes as you build your knowledge of medical terminology.

  • -ac: Pertaining to
  • -ad: Toward
  • -al: Pertaining to
  • -algia, -dynia: Pain
  • -ar: Pertaining to
  • -ary: Pertaining to
  • -cele: Protrusion
  • -centesis: Surgical withdrawal of fluid
  • -cide, -cidal: Kill, destroy
  • -coccus: Berry shaped
  • -cyte: Cell
  • -eal: Pertaining to
  • -ectomy: Surgical removal
  • -emia: Pertaining to blood
  • -esis: Condition
  • -gen: Substance that produces/causes
  • -genic: Produced by
  • -gram: Record of
  • -graph: Instrument used to record
  • -graphy: A process of recording
  • -ia: Condition of, diseased state, abnormal state
  • -ic, -ior: Pertaining to
  • -ism: State of, condition, theory
  • -itis: Inflammation
  • -logist: Specialist who studies and treats disorders
  • -logy: Study of
  • -lysis: Destruction, breakdown
  • -megaly: Enlargement
  • -meter: Instrument used to measure
  • -metry: Process of measuring
  • -oid: Resembling
  • -oma: Tumor
  • -opia: Vision condition
  • -opsy: To view
  • -osis: Abnormal condition
  • -ous: Pertaining to
  • -pathy: Disease, abnormality
  • -penia: Lack of, deficiency
  • -pexy: Surgical fixation, suspension
  • -phagia: Eating
  • -phobia: Intense fear of
  • -plasia: Formation, development
  • -plasm: Growth, substance, formation
  • -plasty: Surgical reconstruction
  • -plegia: Paralysis
  • -pnea: Breathing
  • -poiesis, -poietic: Production, manufacture of
  • -ptosis: Drooping
  • -rrhage: Excessive flow
  • rrhagia: Excessive flow
  • -rrhaphy: Suturing in place, fixation
  • -rrhea: Flow, discharge
  • -rrhexis: Rupture or breaking away
  • -sclerosis: Hardening
  • -scope: Instrument used to visually examine
  • -scopic: Visual examination
  • -scopy: Process of visual examination
  • -spasm: Sudden, involuntary
  • -stasis: To stop
  • -stomy: Artificial surgical opening
  • -tome: Instrument used to cut
  • -tomy: Process of incision, cutting into
  • -tripsy: Crushing
  • -trophic, -trophy: Growth, development

Note there are several suffixes that mean “pertaining to,” such as -ac, -al,  -ar, -ary, -eal, -ic, -ior, and -ous.

Examples of Common Suffixes in Medical Terms

  • Arachnophobia: Fear of spiders
  • Amniocentesis: Procedure to withdraw fluid from the amniotic sac
  • Anemia: Low levels of hemoglobin in the blood
  • Cardiomegaly: Enlargement of the heart
  • Colonoscopy: Procedure that visually examines the colon
  • Dyspnea: Difficulty breathing
  • Hemiplegia: Paralysis of one side of the body
  • Mammography: Radiological process of examining the breast tissue
  • Myalgia: Muscle pain

Additional suffixes will be discussed in each chapter related to specific body systems.

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Medical Terminology - 2e Copyright © 2024 by Ernstmeyer & Christman - Open Resources for Nursing (Open RN) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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