Word roots, prefixes and suffixes of anatomical terms :
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(Click here to take a 'Word Roots' quiz!)
| Prefix/suffix | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pachy- | Pachyderma | Thick |
| palpebr- | Palpebra | Of or pertaining to the eyelid |
| pan-, pant- | Panophobia | Complete, or containing everything |
| papill- | Papillitis | Of or pertaining to the nipple |
| papul- | Papulation | Small elevation or swelling in the skin |
| para- | Alongside of, abnormal | |
| -paresis | Hemiparesis | Slight paralysis |
| parvo- | Parvovirus | Small |
| patho- | Pathology | Disease |
| -pathy | Sociopathy | A disease, or disorder |
| pauci- | Pauci-immune | Few |
| pector- | Pectoralgia | Breast |
| ped-, -ped-, -pes | Pedoscope | Of or pertaining to the foot; -footed |
| ped-, pedo- | Pediatrics | Of or pertaining to the child |
| pelv- | Pelvis | Hip bone |
| -penia | Osteopenia | Deficiency |
| peo- | Peotomy | Of or pertaining to the penis |
| -pepsia | Dyspepsia | Relating to digestion, or the digestive tract |
| per- | Through | |
| peri- | Periodontal | Surrounding, around |
| -pexy | Nephropexy | Fixation |
| phaco- | Phacolysis | Lens-shaped |
| -phage, -phagia | Sarcophagia | Relating to eating or ingestion |
| phag- | Phagocyte | Eating, devouring |
| phagist-: | Lotophagi | Feeds on |
| -phagy | Anthropophagy | Feeding on |
| phallo- | Aphallia | Phallus |
| pharmaco- | Pharmacology | Drug, medication |
| pharyng- | Pharyngitis | Of or pertaining to the pharynx |
| -phil | Hemophilia | Attraction for |
| -phillic | Hydrophilic | To like |
| phleb- | Phlebotomy | Of or pertaining to the veins, a vein |
| -phobe | Photophobia | Fear of, aversion to |
| -phobia | Arachnophobia | Exaggerated fear, sensitivity |
| phon- | Phonograph | Sound |
| phos- | Phosphene | Of or pertaining to light |
| phot- | Photopathy | Of or pertaining to light |
| phren- | Schizophrenia | The mind |
| phyt- | Hydrophyte | To grow |
| pilo- | Depilatory | Hair |
| piri- | Piriformis muscle | Pear shaped |
| -plasia | Achondroplasia | Formation, development |
| -plasty | Rhinoplasty | Surgical repair, reconstruction |
| -plegia | Paraplegia | Paralysis |
| pleio- | Pleiomorphism | More, excessive, multiple |
| pleur-, pleur | Pleurogenous | Of or pertaining to the ribs |
| -plexy | Cataplexy | Stroke or seizure |
| -pnea | Apnea | Breath |
| pneumo- | Pneumonia | Of or pertaining to the lungs |
| pneumat- | Air, lung | |
| pod- | Podiatry | Of or pertaining to the foot |
| -poiesis | Hematopoiesis | Production |
| polio- | Poliomyelitis | A grey color |
| poly- | Polymyositis | Plurality |
| por- | Pore, porous | |
| porphyr- | Porphyroblast | A purple color |
| post- | Postmortem | After, or behind |
| pre- | Prematurity | Before |
| presby- | Presbyopia | Old age |
| prim- | Primary | First, or most-important |
| pro- | Procephalic | Before |
| procto- | Proctology | Anus, rectum |
| prosop- | Prosopagnosia | Face |
| prot- | Protoneuron | First, or most important |
| pseudo- | Pseudoephedrine | False, or fake |
| psych-, psych | Psychology | Of or pertaining to the mind |
| pterygo- | Lateral pterygoid plate | Pertaining to a wing |
| psor- | Psoriasis | Itching |
| -ptosis | Apoptosis | Falling, drooping |
| -ptysis | Hemoptysis | Spitting |
| pulmo- | Pulmonary | Of or relating to the lungs |
| pyel- | Pyelonephritis | Pelvis |
| pykno- | Pyknosis | To thicken |
| pyo- | Pyometra | Pus |
| pyro- | Antipyretic | Fever |
Resources :
In this section we've added a few alternative study aids to help you along.
- Articles - Here you'll find a range of short articles on basic anatomy and physiology topics, complete with a few 'test yourself' questions for each one.
- Images and pdf's - Just in case you get tired of looking at the screen we've provided images and pdf files that you can print out and use for 'off-line' practice.
- Word Roots - When you learn the word roots, prefixes and suffixes contained within anatomical and medical terms, you can often work out what they mean. This can be a useful skill as you progress in your studies, so we've provided a dictionary to help you!
- Games - Finally in the resources section, we've added some simple games to make anatomy and physiology practice a little bit more fun.