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Formation of Medical Terms
Medical terminology may take on an almost infinite variety of combinations of these three basic elements. Terms may be composed of
| Medical Term | Root | Suffix |
|---|---|---|
| carcinoma | carcin(o) | oma |
| Medical Term | Prefix | Root |
|---|---|---|
| neoplasm | Neo | Plasm |
| Medical Term | Prefix | Root | Root |
|---|---|---|---|
| pericarditis | peri | card | itis |
| Medical Term | Root | Root |
|---|---|---|
| erythroblast | erythr(o) | blast |
For the sake of ease in pronunciation, a vowel (usually "o") may be used with the word elements.
A root word + a suffix may also be used to form a new suffix and added to another root word. However, suffixes alone cannot combine to form a word.
| Root + Suffix | New Suffix | Root Word | New Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| cyst + ic | -cystic | poly | polycystic |
| gen + ic | -genic | osteo | osteogenic |
| graph + y | -graphy | radio | radiography |
| path + y | -pathy | adeno | adenopathy |
Updated: December 11, 2023