CHAPTER 2 – SUFFIXES OBJECTIVES On completion of this ...

CHAPTER 2 ? SUFFIXES

OBJECTIVES

On completion of this chapter, you will be able to:

? Recognize how suffixes are used when building medical words. ? Identify adjective, noun, and diminutive suffixes. ? Be aware of suffixes that have more than one meaning. ? Recognize suffixes that pertain to pathological conditions. ? Identify selected suffixes common to surgical and diagnostic procedures. ? Analyze, build, spell, and pronounce medical words. ? Complete the Study and Review section.

OUTLINE

I. Overview of Suffixes The term suffix means to fasten on, beneath, or under. A suffix may be a syllable or group of syllables united with or placed at the end of a word to alter or modify the meaning of the word to create a new word. A suffix is connected to a root or to a combining form to make a new word. A compound suffix is made up of more than one word component. It is also added to a root or a combining form to modify its meaning. Whenever you change the suffix, you alter the meaning of the word to which it is attached. The following guidelines pertain to the building and spelling of medical words:

1. If the suffix begins with a vowel, drop the combining vowel from the combining form and add the suffix. For example: gastr/o (stomach) + -oma (tumor) becomes gastroma when we drop the o from gastro.

2. If the suffix begins with a consonant, keep the combining vowel and add the suffix to the combining form. For example: lip/o (fat) + -lysis (destruction) becomes lipolysis and we keep the o on the combining form lipo.

3. Keep the combining vowel between two or more roots in a term. For example: electro (electricity) + cardio (heart) + -gram (record) becomes electrocardiogram and we keep the two combining vowels.

Helpful Tip: When giving the meaning of the word or reading its definition, you usually begin with the meaning of the suffix. Examples: gastr/oma is a tumor of the stomach; lip/o/lysis is the destruction of fat; electr/o/cardi/o/gram is a record of the electrical activity of the heart.

A. General Use Suffixes ? suffixes, when written, are all preceded by a

hyphen (-) to signify that they are to be linked to the end of a root or

combining form.

1. Selected Suffixes for General Use

Suffix

Meaning

-algesia

condition of pain

-ant

forming

-ase

enzyme

-ate

use, action

-blast

immature cell, germ cell

-cide

to kill

-crit

to separate

-cuspid

point

-cyst

bladder, sac

-cyte

cell

-dipsia

thirst

-drome

a course

-er

relating to, one who

-gen

formation, produce

-genesis

formation, produce

-ide

having a particular quality

-ive

nature of, quality of

-liter

liter

-logy

study of

-lymph

clear fluid, serum, pale fluid

-or

one who, a doer

-phil

attraction

-stasis

control, stop, stand still

-therapy

treatment

-thermy

heat

-um

tissue, structure

-uria

urination, condition of urine

B. Grammatical Suffixes ? those suffixes that may be attached to a word root to form a part of speech, especially a noun or adjective, or to make a medical word singular or plural in its form. They are also used to indicate a diminutive form of a word that specifies a smaller version of the object indicated by the word root. They are as follows:

1. Adjective Suffixes That Mean Pertaining To

Suffix

Definition

-ac

pertaining to

-ad

pertaining to

-al

pertaining to

-ar

pertaining to

-ary

pertaining to

-ic

pertaining to

-ile

pertaining to

-ior

pertaining to

-ose

pertaining to

-ous

pertaining to

-tic

pertaining to

-us

pertaining to

-y

pertaining to

2. Noun Suffixes That Mean Condition, Treatment, or Specialist

Suffix

Definition

-esis

condition

-ia

condition

-ism

condition

-iatry

treatment

-ician

a physician who specializes in

-ist

a physician who specializes in

-osis

condition

-y

condition

3. Diminutive Suffixes That Mean Small or Minute

Suffix

Definition

-cle

small

-icle

little

-ole

small

-ula

small

-ule

small

C. Suffixes That Have More Than One Meaning -? these suffixes have

more than one meaning, thereby making it a little more difficult when defining

medical terms to which they are attached.

1. Selected Suffixes That Have More Than One Meaning

Suffix

Meaning

-ate

use, action, having the form of, possessing

-blast

immature cell, germ cell, embryonic cell

-ectasis

dilatation, dilation, distention, stretching,

expansion

-gen

formation, produce

-genesis

formation, produce

-genic

formation, produce

-gram

a weight, mark, record

-ive

nature of, quality of

-lymph

serum, clear fluid, pale fluid

-lysis

destruction, separation,

breakdown, loosening, dissolution

-penia

-plasm -plegia -ptosis

-rrhea -scopy

-spasm -staxis -trophy -y

lack of, deficiency, abnormal reduction a thing formed, plasma stroke, paralysis, palsy prolapse, drooping, falling down, sagging flow, discharge to view, examine, visual examination tension, spasm, contraction dripping, trickling nourishment, development process, condition, pertaining to

D. Suffixes That Pertain to Pathological Conditions ? suffixes that carry

meanings such as pain, swelling, weakness, softening, inflammation, and

tumor are often combined with roots or combining forms to describe

pathological conditions.

1. Selected Suffixes That Pertain to Pathological Conditions

Suffix

Meaning

-algia

pain, ache

-asthenia

weakness

-betes

to go

-cele

hernia, tumor, swelling

-cusis

hearing

-derma

skin

-dynia

pain, ache

-ectasis

dilation, distention

-edema

swelling

-emesis

vomiting

-ion

process

-itis

inflammation

-kinesis

motion

-lepsy

seizure

-lexia

diction, word, phrase

-malacia

softening

-mania

madness

-megaly

enlargement, large

-mnesia

memory

-noia

mind

-oid

resemble

-oma

tumor

-opia

sight, vision

-oxia

oxygen

-pathy

disease, emotion

-penia

deficiency

-pepsia -phagia -phasia -phobia -plasia -plasm -plegia -pnea -ptosis -ptysis -rrhage -rrhea -rrhexis -spasm -trophy

to digest to eat, to swallow to speak, speech fear formation, produce a thing formed, plasma paralysis, stroke breathing drooping, prolapse, sagging spitting bursting forth flow, discharge rupture tension, spasm, contraction nourishment, development

E. Suffixes Associated with Surgical and Diagnostic Procedures ? suffixes

with meanings such as puncture, surgical excision, instrument to measure,

and new opening are often combined with roots or combining forms to

describe surgical and/or diagnostic procedures.

1. Selected Suffixes Used in Surgical and Diagnostic Procedures

Suffix

Meaning

-centesis

surgical puncture

-clasis

a breaking

-desis

binding

-ectomy

surgical excision, surgical removal,

resection

-gram

a weight, mark, record

-graph

instrument for recording

-graphy

recording

-ize

to make, to treat or combine with

-lysis

destruction, separation,

breakdown, loosening

-meter

instrument to measure, measure

-metry

measurement

-opsy

to view

-pexy

surgical fixation

-pheresis

remove

-plasty

surgical repair

-rrhaphy

suture

-scope

instrument for examining

-scopy

visual examination, to view,

examine

-stomy

new opening

-tome

instrument to cut

-tomy

incision

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download