Body Structure Chapter Review
Word Elements Summary
The following table summarizes CFs, suffixes, and prefixes related to body structure.
56 CHAPTER 2• Body Structure
Word Element Meaning Word Element Meaning
Combining Forms
abdomin/o abdomen infer/o lower, below
anter/o anterior, front inguin/o groin
caud/o tail later/o side, to one side
cephal/o head lumb/o loins (lower back)
cervic/o neck; cervix uteri (neck of uterus) medi/o middle
chondr/o cartilage nucle/o nucleus
crani/o cranium (skull) pelv/o, pelv/i pelvis
cutane/o skin poster/o back (of the body), behind, posterior
cyt/o cell proxim/o near, nearest
dist/o far, farthest radi/o radiation, x-ray; radius (lower arm
bone on the thumb side)
dors/o back (of the body) spin/o spine
fluor/o luminous, fluorescence super/o upper, above
gastr/o stomach thorac/o chest
hist/o tissue umbilic/o umbilicus, navel
ili/o ilium (lateral, flaring portion of ventr/o belly, belly side
the hip bone)
Suffixes
-ac, -al, -ar, -ary,
-ous, -iac, -ic, -ior pertaining to -meter instrument for measuring
-ad toward -lysis separation; destruction; loosening
-graphy process of recording -scopy visual examination
-logist specialist in the study of -toxic poison
-logy study of -verse turning
Prefixes
endo- in, within medi- middle
epi- above, upon super- upper, above
hypo- under, below; deficient trans- through, acrossVisit the Medical Language Lab at medicallanguagelab.com.Use the flash-card word
elements exercise to reinforce your study of word elements. We recommend
you complete the flash-card activity before starting the Word Elements Review
that follows.