This document discusses medical prefixes, suffixes, and forming plurals. It notes that prefixes express numbers, measurements, position, direction, negatives, and color but do not change the meaning of the word. Suffixes can make a word a noun or adjective and indicate specialties, specialists, instruments, and procedures. When forming plurals, common changes include replacing 'a' with 'ae', 'ax' with 'aces', 'is' with 'es', 'ix/ex/yx' with 'ices', 'on' with 'a', and 'um' with 'a'.

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• Prefixes

2. • Remember
– Meaning of prefix does not change
– Prefix does change meaning of the word
– Not all medical words have a prefix
• Prefixes express
– Numbers, measurements, position, direction,
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negatives, and color

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• Prefixes express numbers
– None, one, two, three, four
– Single, double, half
• Prefixes express measurement
– Quantities:
• Much, many, excessive
– Multiples without specific numbers

4. • Prefixes express position and/or direction
• Used to describe a location
– May be:
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• Between, under, around, away from
– May be:
• Upon, over, within, near, middle
– May be:
• Below, behind, above, across

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• Prefixes express color
– Color in reactions
– Color of growths or rashes
– Color of body fluids
– Red, blue, green, yellow
– White, black, gray, purple
• Prefixes express negatives
– May indicate:
• Not, without, lack of, against

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• Suffixes

7. • Remember
– Meaning of suffix does not change
– Suffix does change meaning of the word
• Every medical word has an ending
– Either a suffix or a complete word
• Suffixes make a word a noun or an
adjective
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Suffixes

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Suffixes: Rule
• When suffix begins with a consonant
– Combining vowel is needed to attach suffix
to word root
• Example: cephalodynia
– Breakdown of word: cephal / o / dynia
– Root = cephal
– Combining vowel = o (is needed)
– Suffix = dynia (begins with consonant)

9. Suffixes: Rule
• When suffix begins with a vowel
– Combining vowel is not needed to attach
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suffix to word root
• Example word: cephalalgia
– Breakdown of word: cephal / algia
– Root = cephal
– Combining form = (not needed)
– Suffix = algia (begins with a vowel)

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Suffixes: Rule
• Remember
• When defining a medical term
– Define suffix first
– Define prefix second
– Define word root(s) last

11. • Suffixes indicate specialties and/or
specialists
– May be specialist in a field of study
– May be one who specializes in the study of
– May be one who treats
• Suffixes indicate instruments
– May be an instrument used to view
– May be an instrument used to measure
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Suffixes

12. • Suffixes indicate surgical and diagnostic
procedures
– May be surgical puncture
– May be process of recording
– May be process of viewing with a scope
– May be incision into
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Suffixes

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Forming Plurals
• When singular form ends in ‘a’
– Change the ‘a’ to ‘ae’
• When singular form ends in ‘ax’
– Change the ‘ax’ to ‘aces’
• When singular form ends in ‘is’
– Change the ‘is’ to ‘es’

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Forming Plurals
• When singular form ends in ‘ix’, ‘ex’, or
‘yx’
– Change the ‘ix’, ‘ex’, or ‘yx’ to ‘ices’
• When singular form ends in ‘on’
– Change the ‘on’ to ‘a’
• When the singular form ends in ‘um’
– Change the ‘um’ to ‘a’

15. • When the singular form ends in ‘us’
– Change the ‘us’ to ‘i’
• When the singular form ends in ‘ma’
– Change the ‘ma’ to ‘mata’
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Forming Plurals

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