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.