20 CHAPTER 1• Introduction to Programmed Learning and Medical Word Building
Suffix Term Meaning
-malacia chondr/o/malacia
softening kŏn-drō-mă-LĀ-shē-ă
chondr/o: cartilage
-megaly cardi/o/megaly
enlargement kăr-dē-ō-MĔG-ă–lē
cardi/o: heart
-oma neur/oma
tumor nū-RŌ-mă
neur: nerve
-osis cyan/osis
abnormal condition; increase sī-ă-NŌ-sĭs
(used primarily with cyan: blue
blood cells)
-pathy my/o/pathy
disease mī-ŎP-ă-thē
my/o: muscle
-penia erythr/o/penia
decrease, deficiency ĕ-rĭth-rō-PĒ-nē-ă
erythr/o: red
-phobia hem/o/phobia
fear hē-mō-FŌ-bē-ă
hem/o: blood
-plegia hemi/plegia
paralysis hĕm-ē-PLĒ-jē-ă
hemi-: one half Hemiplegia affects the right or left side of the
body and is caused by a brain injury or stroke.
-rrhage, -rrhagia hem/o/rrhage
bursting forth (of) HĔM-ĕ-rĭj
hem/o: blood
men/o/rrhagia
mĕn-ō-RĀ-jē-ă
men/o: menses, menstruation
-rrhea dia/rrhea
discharge, flow dī-ă-RĒ-ă
dia-: through, across
-rrhexis arteri/o/rrhexis
rupture ăr-tē-rē-ō-RĔK-sĭs
arteri/o: artery
-stenosis arteri/o/stenosis
narrowing, stricture ăr-tē-rē-ō-stĕ-NŌ-sĭs
arteri/o: artery