Action-Packed Suffixes
This suffix means "surgical fixation or suspension
What is -pexy
Don't let its mental-sounding root fool you; this combining form actually refers to the diaphragm.
What is phren/o
This prefix means "fast" or "rapid."
What is tachy-
This combining form means "sound or voice."
What is phon/o
This suffix simply means "breathing."
What is -pnea
This suffix refers to a surgical puncture to aspirate fluid.
What is -centesis
If you're cutting, sectioning, or slicing, you're using this 3-letter combining form.
What is tom/o
Opposite of hypo-, this prefix denotes something "above or excessive."
What is hyper-
If a patient is drifting off, they're demonstrating a state linked to this root for "sleep."
What is somn/o
If a tissue structure is described as "resembling" something else, it utilizes this suffix.
What is -oid
Meaning "stretching out, dilation, or expansion," you'll find this suffix in terms like bronchiectasis.
What is -ectasis
This combining form refers specifically to pus.
What is py/o
If a condition is "normal or good," it starts with this 2-letter prefix.
What is eu-
Often confused with oxygen-related roots, this combining form specifically refers to carbon dioxide.
What is capn/o
Meaning "hernia or protrusion," this short suffix often trips up students on exams.
What is -cele
Watch out for rapid flow or excessive bleeding—this double-'r' suffix has got you covered.
What is -rrhagia
While pulmon/o is common, this longer root also stands for "lung" or "air."
What is pneumon/o
Meaning "within" or "in," this prefix appears in terms describing deep tissue layers.
What is endo-
If a patient needs to sit upright to breathe comfortably, they rely on this root meaning "straight."
What is orth/o
Positioned below normal or incomplete, this prefix is the counterpart to hyper-.
What is hypo-
If a passage undergoes constriction or narrowing, it is described using this suffix.
What is -stenosis?
Meaning "imperfect or incomplete," this root is the first half of a collapse-related term (atelectasis).
atel/o
Meaning "difficult, painful, abnormal, or labored," this prefix is found in terms like dyspnea.
What is dys-
Not to be confused with -pnea, this suffix means "producing, originating, or causing."
What is -genic
This prefix means "absence of or without," especially preceding a root that starts with a consonant.
What is a-