2. Root! Prefix! Suffix!
• These build our English language vocabulary
• Most words used in the English language today
were not originally English-they were borrowed
from other languages, mostly
– Latin
– Greek
• You may be able to guess some unknown words by knowing
it’s root, prefix or suffix origins and meaning
• Most English words consist of three parts: root, suffix and
prefix: root contain basic meaning of that word, prefix is
placed in front of the root and changes the word meaning,
suffix is a word element placed after the root, this changes the
meaning as well as it’s function
3. SUFFIXES
• DIPSIA : GREEK- • EMIA: BUILDING
BLOCK DERIVE FROM
TOWARD DRINK- GREEK USED TO
THIRSTY CONSTRUCT MEDICAL
TERMS FROM GREEK
HAIMA BLOOD+IA
• MEANING
CONDITION OF • MEANING BLOOD OR
THIRST OR CONDITION OF
INGESTION OF BLOOD-PREENCE OF
SUBSTANCE IN
FLUIDS BLOOD
4. SUFFIX DIPSIA CHOOSEN
EXAMPLES
• Hydroadipsia: absence of thirst for H2O
• Oligodipsia: abnormal lack of thirst
perhaps caused by hypertonicity of body fluids,
insufficient to initiate drinking but at times
sufficient to sustain drinking when started
• Polydipsia: excessive thirst manifested by
excessive H2O intake, which usually leads to
5. SUFFIX EMIA CHOSSEN
EXAMPLE
• Anemia: lack of blood or very low volume
of blood
• Hypervolemia: too high volume of blood
• Leukemia: cancer of blood cells
6. Conclusion
• With the idea of our English language
broken up in three parts. We can conclude
that the medical terminology is derived
from the same basic and we can discover
these terms simply by dissecting the word
putting the prefix , root , and suffix in it’s
proper place
