PHAROS UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ALLIED MEDICAL SCIENCE

MEDICAL TERMINOLOGYMLMT-201

Dr. Tarek El Sewedy

Department of Medical Laboratory Technology

Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences

LECTURE 3

COMMON PREFIXESAND

COMBINING FORMS

By the end of this lecture, students will learn:

Basic common prefixes and combining forms

Intended Learning Outcomes

Lecture content

• 1-Common Prefix used In Medical Terminology.

• 2- Combining forms.

Prefixes Used In Medical Terminology

Prefixes Related to Numbers

Term Meaning 

Semi - 

Mono - 

Uni - 

Bi - 

Di -  Tri -

Tetra -Penta -Hexa -Hepta -

 

Octa -

Enne -

Deca -

Poly -

Deci -

Centi - 

Milli- 

Kilo- 

(B) Prefixes Related to color

Meaning Example 

Chlor - green Chlorophyil 

Cyan - blue Cyanosis  

Erythr - red Erythrocyte  

leuk - white Leucocyte,leukocyte

Melan - Black,dark Melanoma 

Xanth - yellow Xanthoderm 

(c) Prefixes Related to Direction

Meaning 

Example 

Endo= inside of endoscopy (to inspect the

inside of an organ or space with a lighted instrument) 

Peri = around 

pericardiac (around the heart)

Retro= behind retrosternal (behind the

breastbone) 

Epi= on top epidermis (the top or

outermost layer of skin) 

Intra= within intravenous (inside the

veins, e.g. IV fluids 

Sub = below Sublingual (below the toungue) 

(D) Prefixes Related to Quantity or amount

Meaning Example 

hyper - Excessive,high hyperglycemia 

hypo - Deficient,below

hypotention 

super - Above/moreThan normal

 

supersensitivity

brady - slow bradycardia 

tachy - fast Tachycardia 

(E) Prefixes Related to Size Meaning 

nano -micro - Small size 

macro - Large size 

(F) Prefixes related to time and position

Meaning Example 

pre - Before, in front of premature 

post - After, postcranial 

dextr - Right side Dextrocerebral 

Lev, Left side Levocardia 

supra - Above,over Supraspinal 

epi - ,above Epidermis 

extra - outside Extracellular 

Review

• Word parts that make up medical terminology are

prefixes, suffixes and roots.

• The most typical sequence is prefix, root, suffix, with

the word root being central but this is not always the

case.

Some medical terms contain a combining vowel (O)

after the root and this is called combining form.

Some terms contain two or more roots and therefore

called compound word (ex. osteoarthritis )

Combining form

• It is a root with an added “combining vowel” which

connects the root with the suffix or with another root .

o Root + ( o , i , e ) + suffix = Combining form

o Root + ( o , i , e ) + root = Combining form

• The most common combining vowel is “ o “

Each element is essential to understand

the meaning of the medical term

Prefix RootCombining

VowelSuffix

or root

REVIEW

Combining form

Rules for using the combining

vowels

• 1 . To join a root to another root.

• Example :

• Oste + arthr + itis = osteoarthritis

(root)+(root) +( suffix )

Bone + joint + inflammation

Rules for using the combining

vowels

• 2 . to connect a root with a suffix that begins with a consonant.

Ex :

Cardi + megaly = cardiomegaly

(root)+ (suffix)

Heart + enlargement

• 3 . combining vowel is not used when suffix begins with a vowel.

Ex :

Hyster + ectomy = hysterectomy

( root )+ ( suffix )

Uterus + excision

Rules for the combining vowels

• 4 . if a root ends in a vowel and the suffix starts with the same vowel , the second vowel is dropped .

Ex :Cardi + itis = carditis(root)+ (suffix)Heart + inflammation

• 5 . when a prefix ends in a vowel and the root starts with another vowel the vowel from the prefix is dropped .

Ex : Para + enter + al = parenteral(prefix)+ ( root )+ ( suffix )Beyond + intestine + connected with

How to read medical terms

Start with the suffix…

• When you analyze a medical term, begin at the

end of the word. The ending is called a suffix.

• The suffix in HEMATOLOGY is –LOGY, which means

“study of ”.

Cont …………….Next, read the beginning of the word..

• Now look at the beginning of the term. HEMAT is

the word root.

• The root gives the essential meaning of the term.

• The root HEMAT-means “blood.”

• The third part of this term, which is the letter O,

has no meaning of its own but is an important

connector between the root (HEMAT) and the

suffix (LOGY).

• The O is the ??.

Start at the end of the word and work to

the left

Prefix RootCombining

Vowel Suffix

Examples of combining vowels

• 1 . cardi = heart

Pathy = disease

Cardiopathy = disease of the heart

• 2 . psych = mind

Logy = study of

Psychology = study of the mind

Exercise

Nephroangiosclerosis

 

• Root: gives the essential meaning of the term

• Suffix: is the word ending

• Prefix: is a small part added to the beginning of a

term

• Combining vowel: connects roots to suffixes and

roots to other roots

• Combining form: is the combination of the root and

combining vowel

Students selected for assignments

البنداق احمد الرزاق عبد سعيد احمد

على عبده محمد شفيق احمد

السالم عبد احمد السالم عبد احمدالعبد

ماضى احمد حامد الله عبد احمد

كامل الله عبد احمد

عطيه فؤاد المقصود عبد احمد

قناوى محمد النبى عبد احمد

الفتاح عبد زيد ابو المجد ابو محمد

تركى الشحات عباس احمد محمد

خرابة بسيوني فؤاد احمد محمد

الحميد عبد محمد فتحى احمد محمد

حموده على محمد احمد محمد

موسى معوض احمد محمد

الصابر على محمد الصابر محمد

Group AGroup B

مصطفى ابراهيم محمود تغريد

فرج يعقوب راوبين روزالين

Nutrition

Assignments

• Students on next slide are requested to prepare a

presentation (minimum of 7 slides) on any the following

topics:

1. Respiratory system terminology (including disease)

2. Circulatory system terminology (including disease)

3. Cancer terminology

4. Digestive system Terminology

5. Combining forms and vowels

Assignments should be delivered by next week

Study questionsWrite the suffix in each of the following words that means “study of,”

“medical specialty,” or “specialist in a field of study”:

1.dentist (one who treats the teeth and mouth)

2. neurology (the study of the nervous system)

3. pediatrics (treatment of children)

4. technologist (specialist in a technical field)

5. psychiatry (study and treatment of mental disorders)

Reference books

1 – Medical Terminology an illustrated Guide by Barbara

Jonson Cohen 2003

 2 – “Medical Terminology Simplified” F. A David 2009

 

3 – “Medical Terminology system : Approach Fifth

Edition” Barbara A Gylys 2004