Medword Resources
Medical Terminology Basics:
Prefixes Page 1

Prefixes, the most frequently used elements in the formation of Greek and Latin words, consist of one or more syllables (prepositions or adverbs) placed before words or roots to show various kinds of relationships. They are never used independently, but when added before verbs, adjectives, or nouns, they modify the meaning. Many prefixes are added to other words with a hyphen, but medical dictionary publishers are opting to drop the hyphen on many of the more common prefixed medical words.

Most prefixes are a part of words in ordinary speech and do not refer specifically to medical or scientific terminology, but there are many that occur frequently in medical terminology, and studying them is an important step in learning medical terms and building a medical vocabulary. You may also be interested in reviewing these Medword pages: Suffixes, USP Drug Listings, Basic Medical Terms, Examples of Transcribed Reports.

Prefix		Translation of Greek or Latin		Examples
A ("an" before vowel)		Without, lack of		Apathy (lack of feeling); apnea (without breath); aphasia (without speech); anemia (lack of blood)
Ab		Away from		Abductor (leading away from); aboral (away from mouth)
Ad		To, toward, near to		Adductor (leading toward); adhesion (sticking to); adnexia (structures joined to); adrenal (near the kidney)
Ambi		Both		Ambidextrous (ability to use hands equally); ambilaterally (both sides)
Amphi		About, on both sides, both		Amphibious (living on both land and water)
Ampho		Both		Amphogenic (producing offspring of both sexes)
Ana		Up, back, again, excessive		Anatomy (a cutting up); anagenesis (reproduction of tissue); anasarca (excessive serum in cellular tissues of body)
Ante		Before, forward		Antecubital (before elbow); anteflexion (forward bending)
Anti		Against, opposed to, reversed		Antiperistalsis (reversed peristalsis); antisepsis (against infection)
Apo		From, away from		Aponeurosis (away from tendon); apochromatic (abnormal color)
Bi		Twice, double		Biarticulate (double joint); bifocal (two foci); bifurcation (two branches)
Cata		Down, according to, complete		Catabolism (breaking down); catalepsia (complete seizure); catarrh (flowing down)
Circum		Around, about		Circumflex (winding about); circumference (surrounding); circumarticular (around joint)
Com		With, together		Commissure (sending or coming together)
Con		With, together		Conductor (leading together); concrescence (growing together); concentric (having a common center)

  Continued . . .

Prefixes ­ Page 2: "Contra" To "Hypo"
Prefixes ­ Page 3: "Im" To "Ultra"