Respiratory System Chapter Review
Word Elements Summary
The following table summarizes CFs, suffixes, and prefixes related to the respiratory system.
Respiratory System Chapter Review • CHAPTER 4 147Word Element Meaning Word Element Meaning
Combining Forms
acid/o acid my/o muscle
adenoid/o adenoids myc/o fungus
aer/o air nas/o, rhin/o nose
alveol/o alveolus (plural, alveoli) or/o mouth
arteri/o artery orth/o straight
atel/o incomplete, imperfect ox/o oxygen
bronch/o, bronchi/o bronchus (plural, bronchi) pharyng/o pharynx (throat)
carcin/o cancer pleur/o pleura
chondr/o cartilage pneum/o, air; lung
pneumon/o
epiglott/o epiglottis pulmon/o lung
fibr/o fiber, fibrous tissue sinus/o sinus, cavity
hem/o blood spir/o to breathe
hydr/o water thorac/o chest
laryng/o larynx (voice box) tom/o to cut
melan/o black tonsill/o tonsils
muc/o mucus trache/o trachea (windpipe)
Suffixes
-al, -ic, -ous pertaining to -phagia swallowing, eating
-algia, -dynia pain -phobia fear
-cele hernia, swelling -plasm formation, growth
-centesis surgical puncture -plasty surgical repair
-ectasis dilation, expansion -plegia paralysis
-ectomy excision, removal -pnea breathing
-emia blood condition -rrhagia bursting forth (of)
-graphy process of recording -rrhaphy suture
-ia condition -scope instrument for examining
-ist specialist -scopy visual examination
-logist specialist in the study of -spasm involuntary contraction, twitching
-malacia softening -stenosis narrowing, stricture
-metry act of measuring -therapy treatmentContinued