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• Prefixes

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• 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,

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

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• Prefixes express position and/or direction• Used to describe a location

– May be:• 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

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• 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

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)

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• When suffix begins with a vowel– Combining vowel is not needed to attach

suffix to word root

• Example word: cephalalgia– Breakdown of word: cephal / algia– Root = cephal– Combining form = (not needed)– Suffix = algia (begins with a vowel)

Suffixes: Rule

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• Remember

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

Suffixes: Rule

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• 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

Suffixes

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• 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

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’

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• When the singular form ends in ‘us’– Change the ‘us’ to ‘i’

• When the singular form ends in ‘ma’– Change the ‘ma’ to ‘mata’

Forming Plurals

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