Basic Units of Structure • CHAPTER 2 29Word Elements
This section introduces combining forms (CFs) related to the basic structural units of the body
and those that describe a particular location or direction in the body. Key suffixes are also
summarized. Other word elements are defined in the right-hand column as needed. Review the
table and pronounce each word in the word analysis column aloud before you begin to work
in the frames.
Word Element Meaning Word Analysis
Combining Forms
Basic Structural Units
chondr/o cartilage chondr/oma (kŏn-DRŌ-mă): tumor composed of cartilage
-oma: tumor
cyt/o cell cyt/o/meter (sī-TŎM-ĕ-ter): instrument for counting and measuring cells
-meter: instrument for measuring
A cytometer counts and measures cells within a specified amount of fluid, such as
blood, urine, or cerebrospinal fluid.
hist/o tissue hist/o/lysis (hĭs-TŎL-ĭ-sĭs): separation, destruction, or loosening of tissue
-lysis: separation; destruction; loosening
nucle/o nucleus nucle/ar (NŪ-klē-ăr): pertaining to a nucleus
-ar: pertaining to
Directional
anter/o anterior, front anter/ior (ăn-TĒ-rē-ōr): pertaining to the front (of the body, organ, or structure)
-ior: pertaining to
caud/o tail caud/ad (KAW-dăd): toward the tail
-ad: toward
dist/o far, farthest dist/al (DĬS-tăl): pertaining to the farthest (point of attachment)
-al: pertaining to
dors/o back (of body) dors/al (DŌR-săl): pertaining to the back (of the body)
-al: pertaining to
infer/o lower, below infer/ior (ĭn-FĒ-rē-or): pertaining to below or lower (structure or surface)
-ior: pertaining to
later/o side, to one side later/al (LĂT-ĕr-ăl): pertaining to the side
-al: pertaining to
medi/o middle medi/al (MĒ-dē-ăl): pertaining to the middle
-al: pertaining to
poster/o back (of body), poster/ior (pŏs-TĒ-rē-or): pertaining to the back (of the body, organ, or structure)
behind, -ior: pertaining to
posterior
proxim/o near, nearest proxim/al (PRŎK-sĭm-ăl): pertaining to the nearest (point of attachment)
-al: pertaining to
super/o upper, above super/ior (soo-PĒ-rē-or): pertaining to above or upper (part of the body organ or
structure)
-ior: pertaining to
ventr/o belly, belly side ventr/al (VĔN-trăl): pertaining to the belly side (front of the body)
-al: pertaining to
Continued