Pathology: Medical Terms Glossary Prefixes

Front 1

a-

Back 1

without or absences: achlorhydria, absence of HCl; anemia, absence/deficiency of RBCs due to bone marrow failure

Front 2

acro-

Back 2

extremity: acromegaly, large extremities

Front 3

adeno-

Back 3

gland: adenoma, benign gland tumor

Front 4

an-

Back 4

without: anoxia, w/o oxygen; anicteric, w/o jaundice

Front 5

angio-

Back 5

vessel: angiitis, vessel inflammation

Front 6

ankylo-

Back 6

stiff: ankylosis, a pathologic stiffening

Front 7

ante-

Back 7

before: antemorten, before death

Front 8

antero-

Back 8

in front: anterolateral, to the front and side

Front 9

anti-

Back 9

against

Front 10

arthro-

Back 10

joint: arthritis, joint inflammation

Front 11

athero-

Back 11

mushy: atheroma, deposits of material in a vessel

Front 12

auto-

Back 12

self: autoimmunity

Front 13

bili-

Back 13

bile: biliary, of or pertaining to bile ducts

Front 14

blast-

Back 14

a primitive cell: blastoma, an embryonic tumor

Front 15

carpo-

Back 15

wrist: carpal tunnel, a tendon containing tunnel of the wrist

Front 16

caudo-

Back 16

tail: caudal, toward the tail

Front 17

cephalo-

Back 17

head: cephalgia, headache

Front 18

chol-

Back 18

bile: cholecystitis, gallbladder inflammation

Front 19

chond-

Back 19

cartilage: chondroma, a benign cartilage tumor

Front 20

colpo-

Back 20

vagina: colposcope, an instrument used to inspect the vagina

Front 21

costo-

Back 21

rib: costochondral junction, junction of the bony rib to cartilaginous rib

Front 22

cranio-

Back 22

head: craniotomy, surgical opening of the head

Front 23

crypto-

Back 23

hidden: cryptogenic, of unknown origin

Front 24

cyan-

Back 24

blue: cyanosis, a pathologic state of being blue

Front 25

cyst-

Back 25

bladder: cystitis, bladder inflammation. (Either urinary or gallbladder may be meant, but chole-precedes cysto- if it is gallbladder.)

Front 26

cyto-

Back 26

cell: cytolysis, cell breakdown

Front 27

dent-

Back 27

tooth: dental, pertaining to the teeth

Front 28

derm-

Back 28

skin: dermatitis, skin inflammation

Front 29

dia-

Back 29

through: diarrhea, a flowing through

Front 30

dipl-

Back 30

double: diplococci, two cocci

Front 31

dorso-

Back 31

back: dorsiflexed, bent toward the back

Front 32

dys-

Back 32

difficult, bad or painful: dyspnea, difficult breathing

Front 33

ecto-

Back 33

outside: ectopic, out of place

Front 34

en-

Back 34

into or in: endemic, in a population

Front 35

encephalo-

Back 35

brain ("in the head"): encephalitis, brain inflammation

Front 36

endo-

Back 36

within: endometrium, lining of the uterus

Front 37

entero-

Back 37

intestine: enteritis, intestinal inflammation

Front 38

ex-

Back 38

out of: exostosis, bone growth out of surface; exophthalmos, protruding eyes

Front 39

fibr-

Back 39

fiber or fibrous: fibroma, fibrous tumor

Front 40

gastr-

Back 40

stomach: gastrostomy, the creation of an artificial stomach opening

Front 41

hem-, hemo-, hemato-

Back 41

blood: hemoglobin, coloring material of RBCs; hematopoiesis, the formation of RBCs

Front 42

hepato-

Back 42

liver: hepatomegaly, enlarged liver

Front 43

hetero-

Back 43

dissimilar: heterophile antibody, one having an affinity for an antigen other than that for which it is specific

Front 44

hidro-

Back 44

sweat: hidradenoma, benign sweat gland tumor

Front 45

homeo-

Back 45

similar: homeostasis, stability of normal body states

Front 46

hydro-

Back 46

water: hydrothorax, fluid in the pleural cavity

Front 47

hyper-

Back 47

above, excessive: hyperacidity, excessive acidity

Front 48

hypo-

Back 48

deficiency or beneath: hypodermic, beneath the skin

Front 49

hyster-

Back 49

uterus: hysterectomy, excision of the uterus

Front 50

infra-

Back 50

below: infraorbital, beneath the orbit

Front 51

inter-

Back 51

between: intercellular, between the cells

Front 52

intra-

Back 52

within: intracellular, within cells

Front 53

iso-

Back 53

equal: isotonic, equal strength

Front 54

latero-

Back 54

lateral

Front 55

leuko-

Back 55

white: leukemia, white blood

Front 56

lipo-

Back 56

fat: lipomatosis, having benign fatty tumors.

Front 57

lith-

Back 57

stones; lithiasis, a pathologic presence of stones

Front 58

lumbo-

Back 58

loin: lumbar, of the lower back

Front 59

macro-

Back 59

large: macrocyte, large cell

Front 60

mal-

Back 60

bad: malnutrition, poor nutrition

Front 61

mast-

Back 61

breast: mastitis, breast inflammation (mast cells refer to tissue basophils)

Front 62

mega-

Back 62

great: megacolon, colon enlargement

Front 63

melan-

Back 63

black: melanin, black pigment

Front 64

men-

Back 64

month: menses, mestruation, monthly blood flow from the uterus

Front 65

mento-

Back 65

chin: submental, under the chin

Front 66

meta-

Back 66

beyond: metastasis, spread beyond the original site

Front 67

micro-

Back 67

small: microcyte, an undersized RBC

Front 68

muto-

Back 68

change: mutation

Front 69

myelo-

Back 69

marrow or spinal cord: myelocyte, bone marrow cell; myelitis, cord inflammation

Front 70

myo-

Back 70

muscle: myositis, muscle inflammation

Front 71

myx-

Back 71

mucus: myxedema, mucinous edema

Front 72

narco-

Back 72

sleep: narcolepsy, seizures producing sleep

Front 73

naso-

Back 73

nose: nasal, of the nose

Front 74

necro-

Back 74

death: necrosis, death of cells; necropsy, performance of an autopsy

Front 75

neo-

Back 75

new: neoplasm, new growth

Front 76

nephro-

Back 76

kidney: nephritis, kidney inflammation

Front 77

neuro-

Back 77

neural: neuralgia, nerve pain

Front 78

noct-

Back 78

night: nocturnal, at night

Front 79

oculo-

Back 79

eye: monocular, one eye

Front 80

oligo-

Back 80

few: oliguria, scant urination

Front 81

oophor-

Back 81

ovary: oophorectomy, ovary removal

Front 82

ophthalmo-

Back 82

eye: opthalmology, eye specialist

Front 83

orchio-

Back 83

testes: orchiectomy, testes removal

Front 84

oro-

Back 84

mouth: oral, of the mouth

Front 85

osteo-

Back 85

bone: osteomyelitis, inflammation of the bone and marrow

Front 86

oto-

Back 86

ear: otitis, ear inflammation

Front 87

pan-

Back 87

whole: panophthalmitis, inflammation of the whole eye

Front 88

para-

Back 88

beside: parathyroid, adjacent to the thyroid gland

Front 89

patho-

Back 89

disease: pathogenic, disease producing

Front 90

peri-

Back 90

around: pericardium, membrane around the heart

Front 91

phago-

Back 91

eat, devour: phagocyte, a cell that eats foreign material; esophagus, gullet

Front 92

phleb-

Back 92

vein: phlebitis, inflammation of the vein

Front 93

pneumo-

Back 93

breath, air: pneumothorax, air in chest (outside of lung)

Front 94

polio-

Back 94

gray: poliomyelitis, inflammation of spinal cord gray matter

Front 95

poly-

Back 95

many: polycythemia, excess number of RBCs

Front 96

post-

Back 96

after: postmortem, after death

Front 97

postero-

Back 97

behind: posterolateral, behind and to the side

Front 98

pre-

Back 98

before: preoperative, before operation

Front 99

pro-

Back 99

before: promyelocyte, the cell that develops into a myelocyte

Front 100

pseudo-

Back 100

false: pseudohypertrophic, false appearance of great growth

Front 101

pyo-

Back 101

pus: pyosalpinx, uterine tube filled with pus

Front 102

pyelo-

Back 102

kidney pelvis: pyelonephritis, inflammation of renal pelvis and kidney

Front 103

ren-

Back 103

kindey: renal, of the kidney

Front 104

rhino-

Back 104

nose: rhinorrhea, flow from the nose

Front 105

retro-

Back 105

behind: retrocecal, behind the cecum

Front 106

salp-

Back 106

uterine tube: salpingitis, uterine tube inflammation

Front 107

sarc-

Back 107

flesh: sarcoma, a tumor of fleshy appearance

Front 108

sclero-

Back 108

hard or fibrous: scleroderma, hard skin

Front 109

sial-

Back 109

salivary: sialadenitis, salivary gland inflammation

Front 110

steno-

Back 110

narrow, contracted: stenosis, a pathologic narrowing

Front 111

supra-

Back 111

above: suprapubic, above the pubis

Front 112

syn-

Back 112

together: syndrome, a constant complex of symptoms

Front 113

thrombo-

Back 113

clot: thrombocyte (platelet), a clot making cell

Front 114

trans-

Back 114

across: translocation, displacement

Front 115

uro-

Back 115

relating to the urine or urination: dysuria, painful urination

Front 116

vaso-

Back 116

vessel: vasospasm, vessel spasm

Front 117

vermi-

Back 117

worm: vermiform appendix, appendix shaped like a worm

Front 118

xantho-

Back 118

yellow: xanthochromia, yellow coloration (usually of spinal fluid)