Human Anatomy & Physiology: Latin and Greek Word-Part List (prefixes, suffixes, roots)
Students of any biology course should learn to recognize the meaning of word parts as they often give clues to the meaning of a scientific term, function, or process.
Science terminology is predominately based in the Latin and Greek languages.
The following list of prefixes, suffixes, and roots will be used in this and most Biology (bio = life, logy = study of) courses.
To help with pronunciation, word parts need to be linked together. The linkage for many word parts is “o”. For example, linking the root “cardi” with the suffix “-pathy”
would make the word difficult to pronounce; therefore an “o” is used to link the root with the suffix. The completed word is written “cardiopathy” and pronounced kar-de-
op-ah-the (heart disease).
Accurate spelling of each work is also important. Changing one letter may change the word part and its meaning. Examples include: “ileum” is a part of the small
intestine & “ilium” is a bone in the hips, “ped” refers to the foot & “pedia” refers to children, “ab” means away & “ad” means toward. Finding a word in a dictionary,
glossary, or index requires a knowledge of spelling – at least the beginning of a word. For example, pneumonia and psychology have a silent “p”.
By the end of this course you should be able to: (1) Understand the importance of medical terminology and how it can be incorporated into the study of the human body,
(2) Differentiate between a prefix, suffix, word root, and a compound term, (3) Link word parts to form medical terms, (4) Differentiate between singular and plural endings
of medical terms, (5) Dissect (cut) compound medical terms into parts to analyze their meaning, and (6) Recognize and pronounce commonly used prefixes, suffixes,
and root words used in medical terminology. The last page of this “Word Part” packet has a list of singular and plurals word forms.
Word Part #1
Apnea, Anuria, Nonstriated
Not breathing, Without urine, Muscle not striated
Abductor muscle, Efferent Neuron
Muscle pulling away from midline (deltoid), Carrying info away from brain
Afferent neuron, Adductor muscle
Carry info toward brain, Muscle pulling toward midline (groin)
Fat tissue, Removing (by suction) fat from the body
Building up molecules (bonding amino acids together to make proteins)
Angiogenesis, Vasodialator
Making of a new blood vessel, Medicines that widen a vessel
Prenatal, Antebrachial, Promonocyte
Before birth, Before the upper arm, Before the monocyte is mature
Resisting a foreign body (pathogen), Against conception (egg + sperm)
Water solution, Water (cerebral spinal fluid – CSF) on the brain
Joint inflammation, Joint (where two bones meet)
Enzyme breaking down maltose, Enzyme breaking down lipids/fats
Nerve connecting the ear to the brain
Self-immunity (when a persons antibodies attack its own cells/tissues)
Bicuspid, Diencephalon, Diplococcus
2 pointed (tooth or heart valve), 2 parts within the brain, 2 round bacteria
Brachydactyly, Fibularis brevis
Short digits (toes or fingers), Short muscle in the lower leg
Slower than normal heart rate
Airway (bronchus – tube entering lungs) inflammation