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1.5: Common Suffixes

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    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.

    This page titled 1.5: Common Suffixes is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Open Resources for Nursing (OpenRN) .