The prefix appears at the beginning of a medical term and adds meaning to the root word, like adjectives add meaning to nouns in the English language.
Prefixes often indicate:
- Number, such as bi-, meaning “two”
- Position, such as sub-, meaning “under”
- Direction, such as intra-, meaning “within”
- Time, such as brady-, meaning “slow”
- Negation, such as a- and an-, meaning “without”
Common Prefixes
Here is a list of commonly used prefixes. It is helpful to memorize these common prefixes as you build your knowledge of medical terminology:
- a-, an-: Absence of, without, not
- ab-: Away from, take away
- ad-: Towards, to, near
- ambi-, ambo-: Both
- amphi-: Double, both sides
- ana-: Up, apart
- ante-: Before, in front of, forward
- anti-: Opposing, against
- ap-, apo-: Separated, derived from
- aut-, auto-: Self, by yourself
- bi-: Double, two, twice, both
- brachy-: Short
- brady-: Slow
- cata-: Lower, down, against
- circum-: Around
- co-, con-, com-: Together, with
- contra-: Against, opposed to
- de-: Down, from
- di-: Twice, two
- dia-: Through, apart, across, between
- dis-: Apart from, free from
- dys-: Bad, painful, difficult
- e-, ec-, ex-: From, away from, out of
- ect-, exo-, ecto-: Outside, outer, on
- em-, en-: In
- end-, endo-, ent-, ento-: Within, inner
- epi-, ep-: Upon, over, on
- eu-: Normal
- extra-, extro-: Beyond, outside of, outward
- hemi-, semi-: Half, half of
- hyper-: Above, excessive, beyond
- hyp-, hypo-: Below, beneath, deficient
- im-, in-: Intro, in, within
- infra-: Below, beneath
- inter-: Between
- intra-: Within, inside
- intro-: Into, within
- iso-: Same, equal
- macro-: Large
- mal-: Bad
- mes-, meso-: Middle
- meta-: Beyond, changing
- micro-, micr-: Tiny, small
- mono-, uni-: One
- mult-, multi-: Many, multiple
- neo-: New, recent
- nulli-: None
- oligo-: Small amount
- ortho-: Straight, normal
- pan-: All
- para-: Beyond, beside, after
- per-: Through
- peri-: Around
- poly-: Many, excessive
- post-: After, following, behind
- pre-, pro-: In front of, before, preceding
- presby-: Old age
- pseudo-: False
- quadri-: Four
- re-: Backward, again
- retro-: Behind, backward
- semi-: Half, partial
- sub-: Under, beneath
- super-, supra-: Above, excessive, superior
- sym-, syn-: With, together
- tachy-: Rapid, fast
- trans-: Through, across
- tri-: Three
- ultra-: Excessive, beyond
- uni-: One
See the following box for examples of commonly used prefixes in body-related medical terms. Additional prefixes will be discussed in each chapter related to specific body systems.
Examples of Common Prefixes in Medical Terms
- Bilateral: Both sides
- Dysuria: Painful urination
- Hypertension: Excessive/high blood pressure
- Oliguria: Small amount of urine production
- Pericardial: Around the heart
- Tachycardia: Rapid heart rate