446 CHAPTER 9• Endocrine and Nervous Systems
ENDOCRINE AND NERVOUS SYSTEMS
CHAPTER REVIEW
WORD ELEMENTS SUMMARY
The following table summarizes CFs, suffixes, and prefixes related to the endocrine and nervous systems. Study the
word elements and their meanings before completing the Word Elements Chapter Review that follows.
Word Element Meaning Word Element Meaning
Combining Forms
Endocrine System
aden/o gland pituitar/o pituitary gland
adren/o, adrenal/o adrenal glands thym/o thymus gland
pancreat/o pancreas thyroid/o thyroid gland
parathyroid/o parathyroid glands
Nervous System
cephal/o brain mening/o, meningi/o meninges (membranes covering
the brain and spinal cord)
cerebr/o cerebrum myel/o bone marrow; spinal cord
encephal/o brain neur/o nerve
gli/o glue; neuroglial tissue spin/o spine
Other
cyst/o bladder orchid/o, orchi/o, testis (plural, testes)
orch/o
enter/o intestine (usually small intestine) scler/o hardening; sclera (white of eye)
gluc/o, glyc/o sugar, sweetness thromb/o blood clot
hem/o blood toxic/o poison
nephr/o, ren/o kidney vascul/o blood vessel
Suffixes
-algia, -dynia pain -oid resembling
-dipsia thirst -osis abnormal condition; increase
(used primarily with blood cells)
-emia blood condition -pathy disease
-gen, -genesis forming, producing, origin -penia decrease, deficiency
-glia glue; neuroglial tissue -phagia swallowing, eating
-iasis abnormal condition -phasia speech
(produced by something
specified)
-ism condition -plegia paralysis
-lith stone, calculus -rrhagia bursting forth (of)
-logist specialist in the study of -rrhea discharge, flow