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In medical terminology, many adjectives or combining forms of adjectives are derived from either Greek or Latin. Adjectives will appear most often in compounds and will be joined to either nouns or verbs. Suffixes may be added to make them into nouns as well.
| Root | Meaning | Examples |
| Auto | Self | Autoinfection; autolysis; autopathy (disease); autopsy (view -postmortem examination) |
| Brachy | Short | Brachycephalia (head); brachydactylia (fingers); brachycheilia (lip); brachygnathous (jaw) |
| Brady | Slow | Bradypnea (breath); bradypragia (action); bradyuria (urine); bradypepsia (digestion) |
| Brevis | Short | Brevity; breviflexor (short flexor muscle) |
| Cavus | Hollow | Cavity; cavernous, vena cava (vein) |
| Coel | Hollow | Coelarium (lining membrane of body cavity); coelom (body cavity of embryo) |
| Cryo | Cold | Cryotherapy; cryotolerant; cryometer |
| Crypto | Hidden, concealed | Cryptorchid (testis); cryptogenic (origin obscure or doubtful); cryptophthalmos (eye) |
| Dextro | Right | Ambidextrous (using both bands with equal ease); dextrophobia (fear of objects on right side); dextrocardia (heart) |
| Diplo | Double, twice | Diplocephaly (head); diplopia (double sight) |
| Dys | Difficult, bad, disordered, painful | Dysarthria (speech); dyshidrosis (sweat); dyskinesia (motion); dystocia (birth); dysphasia (speech); dyspepsia (digestion) |
| Eu | Well, good | Euphoria (well-being); euphagia; eupnea (breath); euthyroid (normal thyroid); eutocia (normal birth) |
| Eury | Broad, wide | Eurycephalic (head); euryopia (vision); eurysomatic (body - squat, thickset body). |
| Glyco | Sugar, sweet | Glycohemia (sugar in blood); glycopenia (poverty of sugar - low blood sugar level) |
| Gravis | Heavy | Gravida (pregnant woman); gravidism (pregnancy) |
| Haplo | Single, simple | Haploid (having a single set of chromosomes); haplodermatitis (simple inflammation of skin); haplopathy (simple uncomplicated disease) |
| Hetero, heter | Other, relationship to other | Heterogeneous (kind - dissimilar elements); heterinoculation; heterology (abnormality of structure); heterointoxication |
| Homo | Same | Homogeneous (same kind or quality throughout); homozygous (possessing identical pair of genes); homologous (corresponding in structure) |
| Hydro | Wet, water | Hydronephrosis (kidney - collection of urine in kidney pelvis); hydropneumothorax (fluid in chest); hydrophobia (fear of water - water causes painful reaction in this disease) |
| Iso | Equal | Isocellular (similar cells); isodontic (all teeth alike); isocytosis (equality of size of cells); isochromatic (having same color throughout) |
| Latus | Broad | Latitude; latissimus dorsi (muscle adducting humerus) |
| Leio | Smooth | Leiomyosarcoma (smooth-muscle fleshy malignant tumor); leiomyofibroma (tumor of muscle and fiber elements); leiomyoma (tumor of unstriped muscle) |
| Lepto | Slender | Leptosomatic (body); leptodactylous (fingers) |
| Levo | Left | Levocardia (heart); levorotation (turning to left) |
| Longus | Long | Adductor longus (muscle of thigh); longitude |
| Macro | Large, abnormal size | Macrocephalic (head); macrocheiria (hands); macromastia (breast); macronychia (nails) |
| Magna | Large, great | Magnitude; adductor magnus (thigh muscle) |
| Malaco | Soft | Malacia (softening); osteomalacia (bones) |
| Malus | Bad | Malady; malaise; malignant; malformation |
| Medius | Middle | Median; medium; gluteus medius (femur muscle) |
| Mega | Great | Megacolon (large colon); megacephaly (head) |
| Megalo | Huge | Megalomania (delusion of grandeur); megaly (enlarged liver); splenomegaly enlarged spleen) |
| Meso | Middle, mid | Mesocarpal (wrist); mesoderm (skin); mesothelium (a lining membrane of cavities) |
| Micro | Small | Microglossia (tongue); microblepharia (eyelids); microorganism; microphonia (voice) |
| Minimus | Smallest | Gluteus minimus (smallest muscle of hip); adductor minimus (muscle of thigh) |
| Mio | Less | Mioplasmia (plasma - abnormal decrease in plasma in blood); miopragia (perform - decreased activity) |
| Mono | One, single, limited to one part | Monochromatic (color); monobrachia (arm) |
| multi | Many, much | Multipara (bear - woman who has borne many children); multilobar (numerous lobes); multicentric (many centers) |
| Necro | Dead | Necrosed; necrosis; necropsy (postmortem examination); necrophobia (fear of death) |
| Neo | New | Neoformation; neomorphism (form); neonatal (first four weeks of life); neopathy (disease) |
| Oligo | Few, scanty, little | Oligophrenia (mind); oligopnea (breath); oliguria (urine); oligodipsia (thirst) |
| Ortho | Straight, normal, correct | Orthodont (teeth-normal); orthogenesis (progressive evolution in a given direction); orthograde (walk - carrying body upright); orthopnea (breath - unable to breathe unless in an upright position) |
| Oxy | Sharp, quick | Oxyesthesia (feel); oxyopia (vision); oxyosmia (smell) |
| Pachy | Thick | Pachyderm (skin); pachyemia (blood); pachypleuritis (inflammation of pleura); pachycholia (bile); pachyotia (ears) |
| Paleo | Old | Paleogenetic (origin in the past); paleopathology (study of diseases in mummies) |
| Platy | Flat | Platybasia (skull base); platycoria (pupil); platycrania (skull) |
| Pleo | More | Pleomorphism (forms); pleochromocytoma (tumor composed of different-colored cells) |
| Poikilo | Varied | Poikiloderma (skin mottling); poikilothermal (heat - variable body temperature ) |
| Poly | Many, much | Polyhedral (many bases or faces); polymastia (more than two breasts); polymelia (supernumerary limbs); polymyalgia (pain in many muscles) |
| Pronus | Face down | Prone, pronation |
| Pseudo | False, spurious | Pseudostratified (layered); pseudocirrhosis (apparent cirrhosis of liver); pseudohypertrophy |
| Sclero | Hard | Sclerosis (hardening); arteriosclerosis (artery); scleronychia (nails); sclerodermatitis (skin) |
| Scolio | Twisted, crooked | Scoliodontic (teeth); scoliosis; scoliokyphosis (curvature of spine) |
| Sinistro | Left | Sinistrocardia; sinistromanual (left-handed); sinistraural (hearing better in left ear) |
| Steno | Narrow | Stenosis; stenostomia (mouth); mitral stenosis (mitral valve in heart) |
| Stereo | Solid, three dimensions | Stereoscope; stereometer |
| Supinus | Face up | Supine, supination; supinator longus (muscle in arm) |
| Tachy | Fast, swift | Tachycardia (heart); tachyphrasia (speech) |
| Tele | End, far away | Telepathy; telecardiogram |
| Telo | Complete | Telophase |
| Thermo | Heat, warm | Thermal; thermometer; thermobiosis (ability to live in high temperature) |
| Trachy | Rough | Trachyphonia (voice); trachychromatic (deeply staining) |
| Xero | Dry | Xerophagia (eating of dry foods); xerostomia (mouth); xerodermia (skin) |
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 |
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