500 CHAPTER 10• Musculoskeletal System
Word Element Meaning Word Element Meaning
Combining Forms
arthr/o joint metacarp/o metacarpus (hand bones)
calc/o calcium myel/o bone marrow; spinal cord
calcane/o calcaneum (heel bone) my/o muscle
carp/o carpus (wrist bones) oste/o bone
cephal/o head patell/o patella (kneecap)
cervic/o neck; cervix uteri (neck of proxim/o near
the uterus)
chondr/o cartilage radi/o radiation, x-ray; radius (lower arm
bone on the thumb side)
cost/o ribs roentgen/o x-ray
crani/o cranium (skull) sacr/o sacrum
cyt/o cell scler/o hardening; sclera (white of the eye)
dist/o far, farthest spin/o spine
encephal/o brain spondyl/o, vertebr/o vertebra (backbone)
femor/o femur (thigh bone) stern/o sternum (breastbone)
humer/o humerus (upper arm bone) tend/o tendon
lumb/o loin (lower back) tibi/o tibia (larger inner bone of the
lower leg)
Suffixes
-algia, -dynia pain -logist specialist in the study of
-cele hernia, swelling -malacia softening
-centesis surgical puncture -meter instrument for measuring
-cyte cell -oma tumor
-ectomy excision, removal -osis abnormal condition
-emia blood condition -pathy disease
-genesis forming, producing, origin -plasty surgical repair
-gram record, writing -plegia paralysis
-graphy process of recording -rrhaphy suture
-ist specialist -rrhexis rupture
-itis inflammation -tomy incisionMUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM CHAPTER
REVIEW
WORD ELEMENTS SUMMARY
The following table summarizes CFs, suffixes, and prefixes related to the musculoskeletal system. Study the word
elements and their meanings before completing the Word Elements Chapter Review that follows.