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Suffixes
are the one or more syllables or elements added to the root or stem of a word (the
part that indicates the essential meaning) to alter the meaning or indicate the intended
part of speech.
In order to make a word pronounceable, the last letter or
letters of the root to which the suffix is attached may be changed.
The last vowel may be changed to an "o," or an "o"
may be inserted if it is not already present before a suffix beginning
with a consonant, as in "cardiology." The final vowel
in the root may be dropped before a suffix beginning with a vowel,
as in "neuritis."
Most suffixes are in common use in English, but there are
some peculiar to medical science. The suffixes most commonly used
to indicate disease are "itis," meaning inflammation;
"oma," meaning tumor; and "osis,"
meaning a condition, usually morbid. The suffixes listed occur
often in medical terminology, but they are also used in ordinary
language. You may also be interested in reviewing these Medword pages: Prefixes, USP Drug Listings, Basic Medical Terms, Examples of Transcribed Reports.
|
Suffix |
Use |
Examples |
| ize, ate |
Add to nouns or adjectives to make verbs expressing
to use and to act like; to subject to; make into |
Visualize (able to see); impersonate (act like);
hypnotize (Put into state of hypnosis) |
| ist, or, er |
Add to verbs to make nouns expressing agent
or person concerned or instrument |
Anesthetist (one who practices the science of
anesthesia); dissector (Instrument that dissects or person who
dissects); donor (giver) |
| ent |
Add to verbs to make adjectives or nouns of
agency |
Recipient (one who receives); concurrent (happening
at same time) |
| sia, y, tion |
Add to verbs to make nouns expressing action,
process, or condition |
Therapy (treatment); inhalation (act of inhaling);
anesthesia (process or condition of feeling) |
| ia, ity |
Add to adjectives or nouns to make nouns expressing
quality or condition |
Septicemia (poisoning of blood); disparity (inequality);
acidity (condition of excess acid); neuralgia (pain in nerves) |
| ma, mata, men, mina, ment, ure |
Add to verbs to make nouns expressing result
of action or object of action |
Trauma (injury); foramina (openings); ligament
(tough fibrous band holding bone or viscera together); fissure
(groove) |
| ium, olus, olum, culus, culum, cule, cle |
Add to nouns to make diminutive nouns |
Bacterium; alveolus (air sac) follicle (little
bag); cerebellum (little brain); molecule (little mass); ossicle
(little bone) |
| ible, ile |
Add to verbs to make adjectives expressing
ability or capacity |
Contractile (ability to contract); edible (capable
of being eaten); flexible (capable of being bent) |
| al, c, ious |
Add to nouns to make adjectives expressing
relationship, concern, or pertaining to |
Neural (referring to nerve); neoplastic (referring
to neoplasm); cardiac (referring heart); delirious ( suffering
from delirium) |
| id |
Add to verbs or nouns to make adjectives expressing
state or condition |
Flaccid (state of being weak or lax); fluid (state
of being liquid) |
| tic |
Add to a verb to make an adjective showing
relationship |
Caustic (referring to burn); acoustic (referring
to sound or hearing) |
| oid, form |
Add to nouns to make adjectives expressing
resemblance |
Polypoid (resembling polyp); plexiform (resembling
a plexus); fusiform (resembling a fusion); epidermoid (resembling
epidermis) |
| ous |
Add to nouns to make adjectives expressing
material |
Ferrous (composed of iron); serous (composed
of serum); mucinous (composed of mucin) |
The list below covers just a few areas of interest that are, in fact, the foundations for learning the language of medicine - medical terminology. | Take a Spelling or Transcription Test
Medword's Medical Word Spelling Test Go
Medword's Medical Transcription Test Go
Take a Prefixes Test Go
Take a Suffixes Test Go | Complete a Medword Instant Quiz
Medword's Combining Forms Quiz Go
Medword's Abbreviations Quiz Go
Medword's Plural Forms Quiz Go |
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