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
 An official website of the United States government
 An official website of the United States government