3 Medical Suffixes

How suffixes help decode terms

A suffix is a word part at the end of a medical term. It often identifies whether the term describes a condition, procedure, specialty, or diagnostic process. To decode a term, identify its suffix and combine its meaning with the root or combining form. For example, gastr/itis combines gastr-, meaning stomach, with -itis, meaning inflammation.

Suffixes for conditions

Condition suffixes describe a state, symptom, or disorder. The meaning of a suffix is a clue, and its precise meaning can depend on the complete term.

• -itis means inflammation: colitis is inflammation of the colon.

• -osis means an abnormal condition and sometimes a disease or process. Cyanosis is bluish discoloration, often associated with low oxygen in the blood. The suffix does not always identify the same specific kind of disease.

• -emia means a blood condition: anemia involves reduced red blood cells or hemoglobin.

• -algia and -dynia mean pain: myalgia is muscle pain.

• -megaly means enlargement: cardiomegaly is enlargement of the heart.

• -oma means a tumor or mass: lymphoma is a tumor arising from lymphatic tissue.

• -pathy means disease or disorder: neuropathy is a disorder affecting nerves.

• -penia means deficiency or lack: leukopenia is a low white blood cell count.

• -rrhea means flow or discharge: rhinorrhea is nasal discharge.

• -rrhage and -rrhagia mean excessive flow or bleeding: hemorrhage is excessive bleeding.

A decoded meaning should be treated as a clue, not as a diagnosis.

Suffixes for procedures

Procedure suffixes indicate what is done. Three similar endings have distinct meanings: -ectomy removes, -otomy makes an incision, and -ostomy creates an opening.

• -ectomy means surgical removal: appendectomy is removal of the appendix.

• -otomy means incision or cutting into: tracheotomy is an incision into the trachea.

• -ostomy means surgically creating an opening: colostomy is creating an opening from the colon.

• -plasty means surgical repair or reconstruction: rhinoplasty is surgical reshaping or repair of the nose.

• -pexy means surgical fixation or suspension: gastropexy is surgical fixation of the stomach.

• -centesis means puncture to withdraw fluid: amniocentesis is a puncture to obtain fluid from the amniotic sac.

• -lysis means breakdown, separation, or destruction: thrombolysis is breakdown of a blood clot.

Suffixes for specialties and specialists

Suffixes can distinguish a field of study from the person who practices in it. The root helps identify the subject, while the suffix indicates whether the term names a field or a practitioner.

• -logy means study or field of study: cardiology is the study and medical field concerned with the heart.

• -logist means a specialist in a field: a cardiologist is a physician specializing in heart conditions.

• -iatry means medical treatment or healing: psychiatry is the medical specialty concerned with mental health.

• -iatrist means a practitioner in a treatment specialty: a psychiatrist is a physician specializing in mental health.

Suffixes for diagnostic processes and records

Diagnostic suffixes can name an examination, a process of producing a record, the result, or a measuring instrument.

• -scopy means visual examination, usually with an instrument: colonoscopy is visual examination of the colon.

• -opsy means viewing or examination: biopsy is examination of tissue obtained from the body.

• -graphy names the process of recording or producing an image: mammography is imaging of breast tissue. By contrast, -gram names the resulting record or image; an electrocardiogram records the heart’s electrical activity.

• -metry names the process of measuring, while -meter names an instrument used to measure. Spirometry measures breathing and lung function; a spirometer is an instrument used in spirometry.

A practical decoding method

Use a consistent sequence to decode an unfamiliar medical term:

1. Read the ending first and decide whether the suffix points to a condition, procedure, specialty, or diagnostic process.

2. Find the root or combining form, which commonly names a body part, tissue, or system.

3. Combine the meanings. For example, neur/algia combines neur-, meaning nerve, with -algia, meaning pain, to indicate nerve pain.

4. Check the complete term. Some words have conventional meanings that cannot be inferred perfectly from their parts; consult a trusted medical reference when needed.

Medical suffixes often reveal what a term describes, but their meanings are clues rather than substitutes for a complete definition.