Elements of Medical
Terminology
Quick Reference Guide
Elements of Medical Terminology
Quick Reference Guide
Elements of Medical Terms
Basic elements
● combining form = word root followed by vowel to aid pronunciation (see Note)
● prefix = element placed before the combining form to provide additional meaning
● suffix = element placed after the combining form to provide additional meaning
Common structures of medical terms
● prefix + combining form
● combining form + suffix
● prefix + combining form + suffix
Note: Delete vowel at end of combining form if suffix starting with vowel follows.
For some common prefixes, combining forms, and suffixes, please see page 2.
Other Aspects of Medical Terminology
Abbreviations
● Definitions
○ abbreviation: shortened form of word or phrase, used in place of the whole
○ initialism: abbreviation consisting of first letter(s) of each word in a phrase
○ acronym: initialism pronounced as a word (also sometimes used as synonym for initialism)
● Advice
○ In general, abbreviate items only if they will appear at least several times.
○ Use only established abbreviations unless strong reason exists to do otherwise.
○ On first use, write out the full word or phrase; then place the abbreviation in parentheses.
Eponyms and Toponyms
● Definitions
○ eponym: term containing the name of a person (example: Down syndrome)
○ toponym: term containing the name of a place (example: Lyme disease)
● Advice
○ Capitalize only the part of the term consisting of the name of the person or place.
○ In medical dictionaries, look under the general part of the term (example: syndrome, not Down).
Nomenclature
● Definition
○ nomenclature: standardized system of names (for example, in genetics, hematology, or oncology)
● Advice
○ For guidance, see style manuals such as the AMA Manual of Style and Scientific Style and Format.
○ Take care regarding details such as capitalization, italics, and numeral format (arabic or roman).
Elements of Medical Terminology Quick Reference Guide | PG 1
Prepared by Barbara Gastel, MD, MPH | © 2023 American Medical Writers Association | www.amwa.org
Some Common Prefixes, Combining
Forms, and Suffixes
Prefixes
ante-: before hypo-: below normal, deficient oligo-: a few, a little, too few, too
anti-: against inter-: between, among little
bi-: two intra-: during, inside peri-: around
brady-: slow kilo-: one thousand poly-: many, too much
centi-: one hundredth leuk/o-: white post-: after, behind
circum-: around macro-: large pre-: before, in front of
cyan/o-: blue mal-: bad presby-: old
dys-: bad, difficult mega-: one million, large pseudo-: false
ecto-: outside melan/o-: black, very dark sub-: beneath, under
endo-: inside micro-: small, one millionth supra-: above
erythr/o-: red milli-: one thousandth tachy-: fast
eu-: good, well mono-: one trans-: across, through
extra-: outside multi-: many tri-: three
hemi-: half nano-: one billionth, very small uni-: one
hyper-: above normal, excessive neo-: new xanth/o-: yellow
Combining Forms
abdomin/o: abdomen gloss/o: tongue ot/o: ear
adip/o: fat gyn/e, gyn/o, or gynec/o: female path/o: disease
andr/o: male hem/a, hem/o, or hemat/o: blood ped/i or ped/o: child or children,
angi/o: (blood or lymph) vessel hepat/o: liver foot or feet
arteri/o: artery hist/o: tissue pharmac/o: drugs
arthr/o: joint hyster/o: uterus pharyng/o: throat
brachi/o: arm iatr/o: relating to physicians or phleb/o: vein
bucc/o: cheek medical treatment pneumo/o or pneumon/o: lungs,
carcin/o: cancer lact/o: milk air
cardi/o: heart lapar/o: loins, abdomen pod/o: foot
cephal/o: head laryng/o: larynx (voice box) proct/o: rectum
cervic/o: neck (of body or of lingu/o: tongue psych/o: mind
body part) lip/o: fat pulmon/o: lungs
chol/e or chol/o: bile lith/o: stone py/o: pus
cholecyst/o: gallbladder mamm/o: breast pyr/o: fire, heat, fever
chondr/o: cartilage mast/o: breast radi/o: radiation
col/o or colon/o: colon my/o: muscle ren/o or ren/i: kidney
crani/o: skull nas/o: nose rhin/o: nose
cyst/i or cyst/o: bladder, cyst nephr/o: kidney salping/o: oviduct (fallopian
cyt/o: cell neur/i or neur/o: nerve tube)
dent/i or dent/o: tooth or teeth ocul/o: eye sangu/i or sanguin/o: blood
derm/o or dermat/o: skin odont/o: tooth or teeth somn/i or somn/o: sleep
encephalo/o: brain onc/o: tumor spir/o: breathing
enter/o: intestine oophor/o: ovary stom or stomat/o: mouth
galact/o: milk ophthalm/o: eye thorac/o: chest
gastr/o: stomach opt/o: eye thromb/o: clot
ger/o: old age, the elderly orchi/o: testis ven/i or ven/o: vein
gingiv/o: gums oste/o: bone
Elements of Medical Terminology Quick Reference Guide | PG 2
Prepared by Barbara Gastel, MD, MPH | © 2023 American Medical Writers Association | www.amwa.org
Suffixes
-ac: pertaining to -iatry: medical treatment -phoria: feeling
-al: pertaining to -ic: pertaining to -plegia: paralysis
-algia: pain -itis: inflammation -pnea: breathing
-ar: pertaining to -logy: science of, study of -poiesis: formation, production
-centesis: withdrawal of fluid -megaly: enlargement -prandial: relating to a meal
-cide: killing -metry: measurement -rrhea: discharge, excessive flow
-cyte: cell -oma: swelling, tumor -sclerosis: hardening
-dynia: pain -opia: vision -scopy: viewing with aid of
-ectomy: excision -opsy: viewing instrument
-emesis: vomiting -osis: condition -stomy: opening, creation of
-emia: blood condition -pathy: disease opening
-gen: cause -penia: deficiency -therapy: treatment
-genesis: development, origin -pepsia: digestion -thermia: heat, temperature
-gram: recording -phagia: eating -tomy: cutting into
-graphy: production of a -phasia: speech -uria: urine, urination
recording -phobia: fear
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Elements of Medical Terminology Quick Reference Guide | PG 3
Prepared by Barbara Gastel, MD, MPH | © 2023 American Medical Writers Association | www.amwa.org
