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Chapter 4
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Suffix
A suffix is a word ending that modifies a root. A suffix
may indicate that the word is a noun or an adjective
and often determines how the definition of the word will
begin. For example, using the root myel/o, meaning
“bone marrow,” the adjective ending -oid forms the
word myeloid, which means “like or pertaining to bone
marrow.” The ending -oma produces myeloma, which is
a tumor of the bone marrow. Adding itis, which
represents inflammation, forms the word myelitis,
meaning “inflammation of bone marrow.”
Classification
Table1:Suffixes that mean "condition of"
Suffix
Example
Definition of example
-ia
hypoxia
insufficient amount of oxygen
-ism
alcoholism
Alcoholic Intoxication
-sis
sclerosis
hardening
-y
tetany
sustained muscle contraction
Table2:Suffixes for specialist and medical
specialties
Suffix
Meaning
-ian
specialist in a
physician
field of study
practitioner of medicine
-ist
specialist in a
cardiologist
field of study
specialist in the study and treatment of the
heart
-logy
study of
Example
physiology
Definition of example
Study of function in a living organism
-ics
medical specialty orthopedics
A surgical specialty which utilizes medical,
surgical, and physical methods to treat and
correct deformities
-iatrics
medical specialty pediatrics
A medical specialty concerned with
maintaining health and providing medical
care to children from birth to adolescence
-iatry
medical specialty psychiatry
The medical science that deals with the origin,
diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of
mental disorders
Table 3:Suffixes for a group of substance
Suffix
Meaning
Example
Chinese meaning
-cyte
cell
leukocyte 白细胞
-ase
enzyme
oxidase
氧化酶
-oma
cancer,tumor
lipoma
脂肪瘤
-ol
alcohol
sorbitol
山梨醇
-ose
sugar
glucose
葡萄糖
-ate
salt
phosphate 磷酸盐
Table 4:Suffixes that mean
"pertaining to" or "resembling"
Suffix
-ac
-al
Example
cardiac
skeletal
Definition of example
pertaining to the heart
pertaining to the skeleton
-ar
-ary
-form
muscular
pulmonary
muciform
pertaining to muscles
pertaining to lung
like or resembling mucus
-ical
-oid
-ory
anatomical
toxoid
Respiratory
pertaining to anatomy
resembling toxin (poison)
pertaining to respiration
-ous
venous
pertaining to a vein
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Simple suffix: several letters that can form
noun and adjective, such as -itis, -ia, -oid, -osis,
-y etc.
Compound suffix :is composed of a root or part
of a root and a simple suffix.
graphy= graph + y
uria=ur + ia
emia = em + ia
Table 5:Compound suffixes for disease
and physiological condition
elcosis
ulceration
形成溃疡
helc+sis
lithiasis
stone formation
结石
lith+sis
malacia
softening
mycosis
disease induced by fungus 霉菌病
necrosis
death of tissue or bone
坏死
necro+sis
pyosis
pus formation
化脓
pyo(脓pus)+sis
sclerosis
hardening
硬化
scler+sis
stenosis
narrowing
狭窄
steno+sis
软化
malac+ia
myc(真菌)+sis
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Gastrelcosis
Nephrolithiasis
Osteomalacia
Bronchomycosis
Osteonecrosis
Nephropyosis
Angiosclerosis
Angiostenosis
Table 6:Compound suffixes for
diagnosis and treatment
centesis
Surgical puncture to withdraw fluid
穿刺术
graphy
Recording, writing
记录摄影
iatry
healing, treatment
医疗术
metry
measuring
测量、量度
plasty
Reshaping or repair
成型术
scopy
Examining with mirror
镜检查
stasis
Arresting, halting
停止、制止
stomy
Making an opening or a connection
between
造口术,吻合术
ectomy
cutting out
切除术
tomy
Cutting into
切开术
-algia = Pain
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Cardi/algia: Heart pain
Gastr/algia: Pain in the stomach
Analgesics:Compounds capable of relieving
pain
–
Since –algia starts with a vowel, word root is used
rather than the combining form.
-dynia = Pain
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Cardiodynia: Heart pain
Gastrodynia: Pain in the stomach
–Since
used.
–dynia starts with a consonant, combining form is
-emia = Blood Condition
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Hema = Blood (Greek)
An/emia: Lack of blood
Leuk/emia, a “blood cancer”, literally means “a condition
of white blood”.
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Leuk/o = White
em = blood
-ia = condition
In Leukemia, the blood is not really white. There are too
many immature white cells (leukocytes) in the blood.
This finding was used to name the disease “Leukemia”.
-meter, -metry
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-meter = An instrument used to measure or
count something
Cyt/o/meter: The instrument used to count cells
-metry = The process of measuring or counting
something
Cyt/o/metry: The process of counting cells
-penia = Decrease, Not Enough
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Means poverty
Leuk/o/cyt/o/penia (leukopenia): Decrease in or
not enough white blood cells
Thromb/o/cyt/o/penia: Abnormal decrease in
the number of clot-forming cells (thrombocytes)
Erythr/o/cyt/o/penia: Decrease in red blood
cells
-rrhea = flow or discharge
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Dia/rrhea: to flow through. (the passage of
fluid or unformed stools)
-rrhagia = flow of blood or bleeding
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Gastro/rrhagia: Bleeding of stomach
-graph = To Write or Record
From Greek verb graphein, meaning to write or
record
 Refers to an instrument used to record data or
something written or recorded
 Radiograph: pictures recorded by radioactive
light
 Electrocardiograph :心电描记器,心电图仪
 Chromatograph：色谱仪
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-gram = Record or Picture
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Gramma = something written or drawn
-gram = suffix for “something written or drawn”.
Used in medical terms to refer to a record or
picture made by an instrument.
Electrocardiogram:a recording of the electrical
activity of the heart over time produced by an
electrocardiograph心电图
Chromatogram：色谱图
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-gram = A record or picture made by an
instrument
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-graph = Instrument used to record data
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electrocardiogram
electrocardiograph
Graphein = to write or record (Greek)
-graphy = The process of making a picture
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Electrocardiography
Chromatography 色谱法
Suffix for “Cutting”
Tomos = Cutting (Greek)
Tom = word root for cut
 -tome = cutting instrument
 -tomy = to cut into (incise)
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-ectomy = to cut out (excise)
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Tom/e = cut
-y is a noun suffix
Ect/o = outside
-stomy = to form a new opening (surgical)
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stoma = mouth, opening
Suffix for “Cutting”
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Example:
-tome = cutting instrument  Gastr/o/tome
-tomy = to cut into (incise)  Gastr/o/tomy
-ectomy = to cut out (excise) Gastr/ectomy
-stomy = to form a new
 Gastr/ostomy
opening (surgical)
-ectomy vs. -ostomy
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Gastr/ectomy: Excision (removal) of all or part of
the stomach
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Ect/o = combining form meaning “outside”
Tom/e = combining form meaning “cut”
-y = noun suffix
Gastr/ostomy: New opening made in stomach by
cutting
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stoma = “mouth, opening”
Tom/e = combining form meaning “cut”
-y = noun suffix
-cyte = Cell
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Melan/o/cyte: Black cell (dark pigmented)
Leuk/o/cyte: White (blood) cell
Erythr/o/cyte: Red (blood) cell. Contains a red
substance called hemoglobin.
-blast = Embryonic, Immature Cell
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fibr/o/blast: immature form of fibrocyte
Melan/o/blast: a precursor cell of a melanocyte
Erythr/o/blast: An embryonic red blood cell
osteo/blast: a precursor cell of a osteocyte
Blast/o = (combining form) embryonic or
immature cell
Blast/o/cyte: An embryonic cell
-gen =substance or agent that produces
or causes
-genesis =origin; formation;development
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glycogen: is the storage form of glucose in animals and
humans.
zymogen: proenzyme
antigen: any substance that causes your immune
system to produce antibodies against it
pathogen: the substance that can cause disease
carcinogen: the substance that can cause cancer
oncogenesis :formation of tumor
adipogenesis: formation of fat
Path/o ,-pathy= Disease
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Path/o/logy: The study of disease or the cause
of disease
Path/o/logist: A physician specializing in
diagnosing (discovering) diseases
-pathy = Disease
Dermat/o/pathy: Disease condition of the skin
-stasis= to stop or prevent
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Bacteri/ostasis: to make the growth of bacteria
stop
Hemo/stasis : to arrest the flow of blood
Chole/stasis: a condition where bile cannot
flow from the liver to the duodenum.
-cide= to kill
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Bacteri/cide: agents that can kill bacteria
Fungi/cide: agents that can kill fungi
-phil,-philic=love, friendship
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Hydro/philic: be able to dissolve more readily in water
hemophilia: Hemophilia is a rare, inherited bleeding
disorder in which your blood doesn’t clot normally. If you
have hemophilia, you may bleed for a longer time than
others after an injury. You also may bleed internally,
especially in your knees, ankles, and elbows. This
bleeding can damage your organs or tissues and,
sometimes, be fatal. People born with hemophilia have
little to none of the proteins needed for normal blood
clotting. These proteins are called a clotting factors.
-phobe, phobic= fear
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Hydrophobic: the physical property of a
molecule that is repelled from a mass of water.
Hydrophobia: especially a set of symptoms of
the later stages of an infection, in which the
victim has difficulty in swallowing, shows panic
when presented with liquids to drink, and
cannot quench his or her thirst.