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Prefixes, Suffixes, and Stems

The following list gives the meanings of prefixes, suffixes, andstems that are commonly used to form scientific terms. Whenever youencounter a new term in your study of biology or any science, break itapart and try to find the parts in this list. Such a habit will greatlysimplify your mastery of scientific vocabulary.

As an example, you might take the word nephrology. The stemnephro- is derived from the Greek word nephros, meaning kidney,while the stem log-is derived from the Greek word logos, meaningthought or study of. You might later encounter the word nephrolith,and you would then only have to determine the meaning of the suffixlith, since you would already know the meaning of the first part of theword. After some practice, you will be surprised how many new wordsyou can define without looking them up.

You should also be aware that is has often been necessary to adda vowel when combining word parts for a more pleasing pronunciation.

For example, bacteri- + -logybecomes bacteriology. For the samereason it has been necessary at times to drop or change a vowel in aprefix, suffix, or stem. For example, gastro becomes gastric, theadjective pertaining to the stomach.

Most scientific terms are derived from either the ancient Greek orthe Latin because neither of these languages is currently in use andthey are universally studied. Learning the meaning of the followingword elements will help develop your biological vocabulary.

Vocabulary Development Quizzes: See your course syllabus for the schedule of quiz dates. Dates

are subject to change if necessarypay attention toupdates in class.

Know meanings of all terms VERY well! You will be asked todecipher the meanings of new scientific terms that incorporatethese word elements.

Each quiz will focus on a particular portion of the list, but will alsoinclude word elements from previous quizzestherefore; you willneed to continuously review past material.

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Scientific Root Words, Prefixes, and Suffixes

a-, an- not, without, lackingab- away from, out from-able capable of ac- to, toward-aceous of or pertaining toacou-, acous- hear acr-, acro- heightad- to, towardaden- glandadip- fat

aero- air agri- field, soil-al having the character of alb- whitealg-, -algia painalto- highambi- bothameb- change, alternationamni- fetal membraneamphi-, ampho- bothamyl- starchana- up, back, againandro- man, mascul ineanemo- windang- choke, feel painangi- blood, vessel, ductante- before, ahead of timeanter- front

antho- flower anti- against, oppositeanthropo- man, human-ap-, -aph- touchapo-, ap- away fromaqu- water archaeo- primitive, ancient

-ary, -arium denotes a place for something

arteri- arteryarthr- joint, articulation

-ase forms names of enzymesaster-, astr- star -ate verb form the act of anther- fatty deposit

-ation noun form the act ofatmo- vapor audi- hear

aur- ear auto- self bacter-, bactr- bacterium, stick, clubbarb- beardbaro- weight

bath- depth, heightbene- well, goodbi- (Latin) two twicebi-, bio- (Greek) life, living-blast- sprout, germ, budbrachi- armbrachy- shortbrady- slowbranchi- finbrev- shortbronch- windpipecac-. bad

calor- heatcapill- hair capit- headcarcin- cancer cardi- heartcarn- meat, fleshcarp- fruitcarpal- wristcata- breakdown, downwardcaud- tail-cel l- chamber, small roomcen-, cene- now, recentcente- pierce

centi- hudredthcentr- center cephal- headcerat- horncerebr- braincervic- neckchel- clawchem- dealing with chemicalschir- handchlor- green

chondr- cartilagechrom-, -chrome color chron- time-chym- juice-cid-, -cis- cut, kill, fallcirca-, circum- around, aboutcirru- hairlike curlsco- with, together cocc- seed, berrycoel- hollowcoll- glueconi- conecontra- againstcorp- bodycort-, cortic- outer layer cosmo- world, order, formcotyl- cupcounter- against

crani- skullcresc-, cret- begin to growcrypt- hidden, covered-cul-, -cule small, diminutivecumul- heapedcuti- skincyan- blue

-cycle, cycl- ring, circle-cyst- sac, pouch, bladder cyt-, -cyte cell, hollow container dactyl- finger

de- away from, downdeca- tendeci- tenthdeliquesc- become fluid

demi- half dendr- treedent- tooth

derm- skindi-, dipl- (Latin) two, doubledi-, dia- (Greek) through, across, apartdia- (Latin) daydigit- finger, toe

din- terribledis- apart, outdorm- sleepdors- backdu-, duo- two-duct leaddynam- power dys- bad, abnormal, difficultec- out of, away fromechin- spiny, pricklyeco- houseecto- outside of

-elle small-emia blooden-, endo-, ent- in, into, within-en made of encephal- brainenter- intestine, gutentom- insects-eous nature of, likeepi- upon, above, over -err- wander, go astrayerythro- red-escent becomingeso- inward, within, inner

eu- well, good, true, normaleury- widenex- out of, away fromextra- beyond, outside-fer- bear, carry, produceferro- ironfibr- fiber, thread-fid, fiss- split, divided into-flect, -flex bendflor- flower

flu-,fluct-,flux flowfoli- leaf fract- break-gam- marriagegastr- stomachgeo- land, earth-gen, -gine producer, former -gene- origin, birth-gest- carry, produce, bear -glen- eyeball-glob- ball, roundgloss- tonguegluc-, glyc- sweet, sugar glut- buttockgnath- jaw-gon angle, corner -grad- step-gram, graph record, writing

grav- heavy-gross- thickgymno- naked, baregyn- femalegyr- ring, circle, spiral-hal-, -hale breathe, breathhalo- salt

hapl- simplehector- hundred-helminth- wormhem- blood

hemi- half hepar-, hepat- liver herb- grass, plantshetero- different, other

hex- sixhibern- winter hidr- sweat

hipp- horsehist- tissueholo- entire, wholehomo- (Latin) man, humanhomo- (Greek) same, alike

hort- gardenhydr- water hygr- moist, wethyper- above, beyond over hyph- weaving, webhyphno- sleephypo- below, under, lesshyster- womb, uterus-iae person afflicted with disease-iasis disease, abnormal condition-ic (adjective former)-chthy- fish

ign- firein-, il-, im-, ir- notin-, il-, im-, ir- to, toward, intoin- very, thoroughly-ine of or pertaining toinfra- below, beneathinter- within, insideintra- between-ism a state or conditioniso- equal, same-ist person who deals with-it is inflammation, disease-ium refers to a part of the body

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-kary- cell nucleuskel- tumor, swellingkerat- hornkilo- thousandkine- movelachry- tear lact- milklat- sideleio- smooth-less withoutleuc-, leuk- white, bright, lightlign- woodlin- line

lingu- tonguelip- fatlith-, -lite stone, petrifyingloc- place-log- word, speech-logist one who studies-logy study of lumin- light-lys, - lyt, - lyst decompose, spli t, dissolvemacr- largemalac- softmalle- hammer mamm- breastmarg- border, edgemast- breastmed- middlemeg- million, greatmela-, melan- black, dark-mer partmes- middle, half, intermediatemet-, meta- between, along, after -meter, -metry measurementmicro- small, millionthmilli- thousandthmis- wrong, incorrectmito- threadmole- massmono- one, singlemort- deathmot- movemorph- shape, form

multi- manymut- changemy- musclemyc- fungus

mycel- threadlikemyriad- manymoll- softnas- nose

necr- corpse, deadnemat- threadneo- new, recentneprho- kidney

-ner- moist, liquidneur- nervenoct-, nov- night-node knot

-nom-, -nomy ordered knowledge, lawnon- notnot- backnuc- center ob- againstocul- eye

oct- eightodont- tooth-ond form, appearanceolf- smelloligo- few, little-oma abnormal condition, tumor omni- allonc- mass, tumor oo- eggopthalm- eyeopt- eyeorb- circle, round, ring-orium, -ory place for something

ornith- birdorth- straight, correct, rightoscu- mouth-osis abnormal conditionoste- boneoto- ear -ous full of ov- eggoxy- sharp, acid, oxygenpachy- thickpaleo- old, ancientpalm- broad, flatpan- all

par-, para- beside, near, equalpath-, -pathy disease, suffering-ped- foot-ped- childpent- fiveper- throughperi- aroundpermea- pas, gophag- eatpheno- show-phil- loving, fond of phon-, -phone sound-phore,, pher- bear, carryphoto- lightphren- mind, diaphragmphyc- seaweed, algaephyl- related group-phyll leaf physic- nature, natural qualitiesphyt-, phyte platnpino- drinkpinni- feather plan- roaming, wanderingplasm-, -plast- form, formed intoplaty- flatpleur- lung, rib, sidepneumo- lungs, air -pod footply- many, severalpor- openingport- carry

post- after, behindpom fruitpre- before, ahead of timeprim- first

pro- forward, favoring, beforep[roto- first, primarypseudo- false, deceptivepsych mind

pter- having wings or finspulmo- lungpuls- drive, pushpyr- heat, fire

quadr- four quin- fiveradi- rayre- again, back

rect- right, correctren- kidneyret- net, made like a netrhag-, -rrhage burst forthrhe-, rrhea flowrhin- nose

rhiz- rootrhodo- roseroto- wheelrubr- redsacchar- sugar sapr- rottensarc- fleshsaur- lizardschis-, schiz- split, dividesci- knowscler- hard-scop- look, device for seeing-scribe, -script write

semi- half, partlysept- partition, seven-septic infection, putrefactionsess- sitsex- six-sis condition, statesol- sunsolv- loosen, freesom-, somat-, -some bodysomn- sleepson- soundspec-, spic- look at-sperm- seed

-spher- ball, roundspir-, -spire breathe-spor- seedstat-, -stasis standing, placed, stayingstell- starssten- narrowstern- chest, breaststom-, -stome mouthstrat- divide, arrangestereo- solid, 3-dimensionalstrict- drawn tightstyl- pillar sub- under, belowsuper-, sur- over, above, on topsym-, syn- together tachy- quick, swifttarso- ankletax- arrange, put in order tele- far off, distanttelo- endterr- earth, landtetr- four thall- young shoot-the-, -thes- put-thel- cover a surfacetherm- heat-tom- cut, slicetoxico- poisontop- placetrache- windpipetrans- across

tri- threetrich- hair -trop- turn, change-troph- nourishment, one who feels

turb- whirl-ul-, -ule diminutive, smallultra- beyonduni- one

ur- urine-ura tailvas- vesselvect- carry

ven-, vent- comeventr- belly, underside-verge turn, slantvig- strong

vit-, viv- lifevolv- roll, wander -vor- devour, eatxanth- yellowxero- dryxyl- wood

zo-, -zoa animalzyg- joined together zym- yeast

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