Word Roots Glossary
-ic, -ac, -al - pertaining to
-a - noun ending
anti - against
ante - before
arthr(o) - joint
arter(i)(o) - artery
-algia – pain
a, an - without
-able - capable of
ab - away from
acr/0/ - extremities
ad - to, toward
aden(o) - gland
adren/o/ - adrenal gland
adip/o/ - fat tissue
algia/ alges (i) (ia) - pain
alopec - baldness
append(i,o) – appendis
-asis – condition of
ather(o) – fatty
arter/i/io – artery
arthr/0 – joint
aort/o - aorta
ante/ro – before, in front of, ahead of
ankyl/o – crooked, looped, immovable, fixed
ambi – both sides
-asthenia – weakness
aur(o) - ear
aud(i,o) - hearing, sound
auto - self
angi(o) – vessel
acr/o - extremities
aer/o - air
alges/i/ia - pain
albin(o) - white; absence of pigment in the skin
-asis; -osis - condition of
acr/o - extremities
aer/o - air
alges/i/ia - pain
algia - pain
-asis; -osis - condition of
aur - ear
psych/i/o - pertaint to the mind
-phylaxis - prevention
-phas/i/o- speech
aur - ear
bio- life
blephar/o – eyelid
-blast – germ/embryonic cell
Bucc/a - cheek
bi- two, twice, double
brachy – short
brach(i) - arm
bronch (i) (o) - air tubes in the lungs
brady – slow
chlor (o) - green
chond/i/r/ ri/ dyl - (o) - cartilage
card (i,o, io) - heart
-cele - swelling
cephal(o) – head
cyt(e,o) – cell
cyst (i) (o) – bladder, bag, sac
-centesis - surgical puncture to remove fluid
cerebr (o) - brain
cervic - neck, uterus
-cide - death, causing death
co - together
colp(o) - vagina
coron/o- crown
cran(i, o) - skull
chir(o) - hand
cyan(o) - blue
cerebr/o - brain
cholo/o - green
-clysis - irrigation
cost/a/i/o – rib
chondyl/o – cartilage
chol/e/o – bile; gallbladder
circum – around
cise – to cut
-centesis – surgical puncture to remove fluid
calc/u/ulus – stone
carcin/0/- cancer; malignancy
carp/o/ - wrist
contra – against
crani/o – pertaining to the skull
cryo – cold
crypt – hidden
cut – skin
-crine – secrete
derm (a, at, ato) – skin
deca - ten
dec/i/a - ten
-desis - surgical fixation of a joint or bone
di/diplo - double
dia - between
dynia - pain
dys – difficult
dors(i) - back
dent(o) - teeth
-desis - surgical fixation of a joint or bone; binding
-edema - swelling
end(o) - inside, within
epi – outer
e/ec - without
-ectasis - dilation
endo - within
erythr(o); erythem - red
-emesis - vomit
-emia - blood, bleeding
-ectomy - surgical removal of
-ectasis – expansion, dilation, stretching
-electr/o - electrical
fasci/o - fascia; connective tissue
gyn(o) - femal
gly(co); glu(co) - sugar
gastr(o) - stomach
gloss - tongue
geront(o) - elderly
-gram - tracing, picture
-graph - instrument for recording, record of
hepat(o) - liver
hyper - high, elevated, above
hemi – half
hem/a; hemat/o; hem/o - blood
heter(o) - different
hypo - low, decreased, below
homo(eo) - same
hydr(o) - water
hist(o) – tissue
hidr(o) - sweat
-itis - inflammation of
-ism - condition of
Intra - within
-ia - abnormal condition, disease
-ium - plural abnormal condition, disease
-ist - specialist of
Kypho – bent, crooked
-kenisia; kinesis; kines/o - movement; motion
kerat(o) - hard, horned, cornea
kera - horned or hard
lacrim(a) - tears
lact(o) - milk
lapar(o) - abdomen
laryng(o) - larynx
later(o) - side
-lepsy - seizure
leuk(o) - white
lip(o) - fat
labia – lip
-lepsy - seizure
Lordo – swayback; curve, bent
-lysis – breakdown, separate; destruction
mal - bad
mes/o - middle
myel/o - bone marrow
myc/o - fungus
mamm(a, o) - breast
-meter -instrument to measure, measurment
melan(o) – black
my(o) - muscle
-megaly - large
macr(o) - large
malac(i, ia) - softening
mania - insanity
mening (i, io, o) - membranes covering the brain
men(o) - monthly
melan(o) - dark, black
micro - small
mortem - dealth
multi - many
my(o) – muscle
myc(o); myc(e) - fungus
narc(o) - sleep
nas(o) - nose
natal - birth
neo - new
noct(o) - night
non - none
necr(o) - dealth
neur(o) - nerve
nephr(i,o) – kidney
ode; oid - form of
ophthalm/o - eye
or/o - mouth
ost/e/eo - bone
-oscopy - diagnostic examination
ocul(o) - eye
odont(o) - tooth
olig(i,io, o) – few
-ology - study of
-ologist – one who studies
-oma - tumor
oophor(o) - ovary
opthalm(o) - eye
-opia - vision
orchid (o) - testicle
-orrhe - flow of
orth(o) - straight
oste(o) - bone
-oscopy - to view
-osis - condition of
oto - ear
-otomy - cutting into
-ostomy - surgical opening into a body cavity
Oste/o; ossi, ost/o; oss/e – bone;
onych(o) - fingernail or toenail
pedicul(o) - louse(single) and lice (multiple)
-pexy - surgical fixation
-paresis - weakness
- plegia - paralysis
proct/o - rectal
pseud/o - false
pan - all
pathy - disease
pancreat (i, o) - pancreas
para - lower half of the body
-penia - lack of
per - through
per(i) - around
phag(i, io,o) - eat
pharyng(o) - pharynx
phleb(o) - vein
-phobia - fear
pilo(o); pil(i) - hair
-pnea - breathing
pneum(o); pneumon/o; pneu- - lung
poly - many
post - after
pre – before
proct(o) - rectal
psych/i/o - pertaint to the mind
-phylaxis - prevention
-phas/i/o- speech
-plasty - surgical repair
plegia - paralysis,; stroke
psych (i, o ) - mind
pulmon (o) - lung
py(o) - pus
pyro - fever
psor(a,i, io) – itch
Poeitic - produce; formation
quad – four
rrhexis - rupture
retro - backward
re- again
rect/o - rectum
rhytid(o) - wrinkle
rhin(o) - nose
-rrhea – flow
-rrhexis – rupture
-rrhaphy – to suture
-rrhagia, -rrhage – bleeding, excessive or abnormal bleeding
rad/i/o - radiation or xray
ren/o – kidiney
seb(o) - sebum or oil
scler/o - hardening
-stasis - maintaining a constant level
Scoli/o – sideways curvature to the spine
-stomy - artificial opening
sterno- breast
sten/o/ - narrowing
stasis - stoppage, maintaining a constant level
splen/o - spleensub - below
sup/er/ra/ - above, upon, over, higher in position
-sclerosis - harness or dryness
sanguin/e/o/eo - bloody
salping(o) - tubes
scler(o) - hardening
-scope - examining instrument
-scopy - observation
-sect - cut
semi - half
sep /it/is - infection, poison, rot
soma - body
-spasm - contraction
sperm - male sex cell
spondyl/o -vertebrea; vertebral column
stoma; -stomy - mouth, opening
sub - below, less
super – above
synov – joint fluid
sym; syn - joined, fused, togerther
tachy - fast
-therapy - treatment
therm(i,o) - heat
thorac(i, o) - chest
trach(e,i,io, o) - trachea, windpipe
trans - across
tri - three
tympan(i,o) - eardrum
tetra- four
tachy – fast
tax/o - coordination; order
ton/i/ia/0 – muscle strength, muscle tone
ten/0/do/ - tendon
tox/ic - poison
thym/0/ - thymus gland
thyr/o/ - thyroid gland
thromb/o/ - clot
thorac/o/ - thorax, chest
-tome - instrument that cuts
-trach/i/e/o - wind pipe, trachea
trich/o/ - hair
-trophy - nutrition, growth, development
trips/y/ - crushing by rubbing or grinding
-therapy - treatment
uni - one
ur - urine
ven/o - vein
vas/o - vessel
xer(o) - dry