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 gen, which represents genesis or origin, and the adjective ending -ous forms the word myelogenous, meaning “originating in bone marrow.”
Classification
Table1:Suffixes that mean "condition of"
Table2:Suffixes for medical specialties
Table 3:Suffixes for a group of substance
etc.
●Compound suffix :is composed of part of the root and simple suffix.
●scopy= scop + y
●stomy=stom + y
●uria=ur + ia
●emia = em + ia
●Gastrelcosis
●Nephrolithiasis
●Osteomalacia
●Bronchomycosis
●Osteonecrosis
●Nephropyosis
●Angiosclerosis
●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
●Cardiodynia:Hear pain
●Gastrodynia:Pain in the stomach
–Since –dynia starts with a consonant, combining form is used.
-emia=Blood Condition
●Hema = Blood (Greek)
●An/emia: Lack of blood
●Leuk/emia, a “blood cancer”, literally means “a condition of white blood”.
–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
●-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
●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
●Gastro/rrhagia: Bleeding of stomach
-graph = T o 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 :a device used for recording the electrical activity of the myocardium to
detect transmission of the cardiac impulse through the conductive tissues of the muscle心电描记器
-gram = Record or Picture
●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 electrocardiograp心电图
Suffix for “Cutting”
●-gram = A record or picture made by an instrument
●electrocardiogram
●-graph = Instrument used to record data
●electrocardiograph
●Graphein = to write or record (Greek)
●-graphy = The process of making a picture
●electrocardiography
●-grapher = A person who records the data
●Radiographer
Tomos = Cutting (Greek)
Tom = word root for cut
●-tome = cutting instrument
●-tomy = to cut into (incise)
–Tom/e = cut
–-y is a noun suffix
