Prefix/Suffix / Meaning / Example
1. amyl- / starch / amylase
2. –ase / ferment; enzyme / lipase; lactase
3. bi- / two; twice; double / bilateral; binoculars
4. –bio / life / biology ; aerobic
5. calor- / heat / calorie; calorimeter
6. cata- / decomposition / catabolism
7. centi- / hundred / centimeter ; centipede
8. co-,con / with ; together / cooperate ; conjugate
9. –cule ;-cle / little / molecule ; particle
10. cyt-; cyto- / cell / cytoplasm ; leukocyte
Prefix/Suffix / Meaning / Example
1. deci- / tenth / decimeter
2. equi- / equal / equilibrium
3. geo- / earth / geography
4. hydro- / water / hydrologist ; hydroelectric
5. –ist / one who practices / dentist ; biologist
6. –lysis; -lys / splitting ; burst / hydrolysis; catalyst
7. lipo- / fat / liposuction ; lipid
8. macro- / large ; long / macronucleus
9. micro- / small ; tiny / microscope;microorganism
10. mole- / mass ; body / molecule
Prefix/Suffix / Meaning / Example
1. multi- / many units / multicellular; multi grain
2. –ology / study of; discourse / microbiology; seismology
3. –phile / to love ; loving / hydrophilic
4. –phobic / to fear / hydrophobic ; phobia
5. pino- / drink / pinocytosis
6. –scope / field of vision ; see / telescope; macroscopic
7.-stasis / stationary condition / homeostasis
8. therm- / heat / thermometer
9. vita-; viva- / alive ; life / vitamin ; vital
10. –zoo / animal ; living being / zoology ; zoospore
Prefix/Suffix / Meaning / Example
1. a- ; an- / not ; without / abiotic ; anaerobic
2.arch-;arche- / primitive; beginning / archeology; archaeobacteria
3.aero ; aria / air / aerobic ; malaria
4.auto- / self / autonomic ; automatic
5. -biosis / mode of living / symbiosis
6. ben-;bon-;eu- / good / benefit ; eubacteria
7.caud- / tail region / caudal ;
8.-cide / to kill / genocide ; herbicide
9. cephal- / head region / encephalitis ; cephalothorax
10.dors- / back side / dorsal
Prefix/Suffix / Meaning / Example
1. di-;diplo;dicho- / double ; two / dichotomous ; diplococcus
2. ecto- / outside / ectoderm ; ectoparasite
3. flagel- / whip / flagella
4. germ- / earliest form of organism / germination ; germ layer
5. halo- / salt / halophyte
6. hapl- / single / haploid
7. homin- / man like / hominid
8. karyo- / nucleus ; kernel / eukaryotic ; karyotype
9. meso- / middle / mesozoic ; mesoderm
10. milli- ; mille- / thousand / millipede ; milligram
Prefix/Suffix / Meaning / Example
1. meta- / many ; several / metamorphosis ; metatarsals
2. morph- / change shape/ form / morphology
3. pre-;pro- / before ; in front of / prokaryotic ; probiotic
4. sym- ; syn- / to join ; combine / symbiosis; photosynthesis
5. – tax- / order; arrangement / taxonomy ; chemo taxis
6. –troph / growth / autotrophic ; atrophy
7. –tropism / response to stimulus / gravitropism
8. -thes / setting in order / hypothesis
9. uni- / one ; single / unicorn ; unicellular
10.-vore; -vorous / feeding ; to eat / carnivorous ; insectivore
Prefix/Suffix / Meaning / Example
1. ab- / from ; away / abductor ; abnormal
2. ad- ; ac- ; ag- / towards, attached to / adhesion;acquired;agnatha
3. anthropo- / referring to man / anthropology
4. blast-; blasto- / sprout; embryonic / blastocysts ; osteoblast
5. carn-; carne- / meat ; flesh / carnivore
6. cereb- / brain / cerebrum
7. coelo- cello- / hollow cavity / coelom
8. demo- / people / demographics
9. fiss - / split / nuclear fission
10. gest- / carried / gestation period
Prefix/Suffix / Meaning / Example
1. hiberna- / winter / hibernation
2. holo- / entire ; whole / holocaust ; holosaprophyte
3. homeo- ; homo / same ; in balance / homeostasis ; homogenous
4. hyper- / over ; excessive / hypertension ; hypertonic
5. hypo- / under ; less than / hypodermic ; hypotonic
6. –ism / action; act of doing / commensalism
7. iso- / equal ; balanced / isotonic ; isomer
8.- meter- / to measure / spirometer ; centimeter
9. –nom / law; order; custom / taxonomy ; autonomic
10. oo- ;ovi- / egg / oocyte; ovary; ovipositor
Prefix/Suffix / Meaning / Example
1. phago-; -phage / to eat / phagocytosis; bacteriophage
2. pseudo- / fake; false / pseudocoelom
3. –pod- / foot / pseudopodia ; podiatrist
4. re- / back ; again / reforestation; recombinant DNA
5. semi- / half / semi lunar ; semi permeable
6. –som(e); soma / body / chromosome; somatic
7. trans- / beyond ; through / transport ; transpiration
8. thorac-;-thorax / chest / thoracic cavity; prothorax
9. tri- / three / tricuspid ; trisomy
10. xero-; xeri- / dry ; dryness / xerilandscape; xeroderma
Prefix/Suffix / Meaning / Example
1. ana- / away ; back ; again / anaphase ; analysis
2. allo- / different / allogenic
3. ant- ; anti- / against; opposite / antioxidant; antibiotic
4. aster- / star / asteroid
5. chrom- / color; colored / chromosomes; monochrome
6. cocco- / berry / staphylococcus
7. coll- / glue / collagen
8. contra- / opposite ; against / contraception ; contradict
9. ferro- / iron / ferrous oxide
10. in- / into; not; without / incision; inability
Prefix/Suffix / Meaning / Example
1. inter- / between; together / intercellular
2. intra-;intro- / within / intravenous
3. ir- / not ; without / irregular; irrelevant
4. –ite / division; part / somite
5. kin- / moving; to move / kinesiology; kinetic energy
6. mal- / bad; ugly / malpractice; malicious
7. mito- / thread / mitosis; mitochondria
8. mono- / one / monotone; monohybrid
9. mort- / death / mortician; immortality
10. –natal / birth / neonatal
Prefix/Suffix / Meaning / Example
1. necro- / death / necrosis
2. nict- / wink / nictitating membrane
3. noct- / night / nocturnal
4. psycho- / mind / psychotherapy
5. quad- / four / quadruplet; quadriplegic
6. reticulum / net / endoplasmic reticulum
7. rrhag- / flow; discharge; burst / hemorrhage; diarrhea
8. –saur / lizard ; reptile / dinosaur
9. –stat / stationary; still / hemostat; homeostatic
10. sub- / under; below / subconscious; subcutaneous
Prefix/Suffix / Meaning / Example
1. amphi- / both / amphibian; amphitheatre
2. angio- / vessel ; closed / angiosperm; angioplasty
3. annel- / ring(s) / annelid
4. aux- / grow ; enlarge / auxins
5. brachi- / arm / brachiopod; brachicardia
6. bry- / moss / bryophyte
7. chloro- / green / chlorophyll
8. dino- / terrible / dinosaur
9. echino- / spiny / echinoderms
10. gnath- / jaw / agnatha
Prefix/Suffix / Meaning / Example
1. gymn- / naked / gymnosperm
2. phyte / plant / gametophyte
3. herb- / non- woody plant / herbaceous
4. myco- / fungus / mycorrizhae
5. –nema / round; thread-like / nematode; nematocyst
6. noto- / back region / notochord
7. platy- / flat / platyhelminthes
8. –pter / wing / pterodactyl
9. rhiz- / root like; roots / rhizoid
10. ten- / to hold fast / tentacle ; tendril
Prefix/Suffix / Meaning / Example
1. tetra- / four / tetrapod
2. –thall- / a branch; young shoot / prothallus
3. vacci- / cow / vaccination
4. -vas- / a vessel / vascular; vas deferens
5. vermin- / worm / vermicelli noodles
6. vitr- / glass / in vitro
7. viv- / life / oviparous
8. xanth / yellow / xanthophylls
9. xyl- / wood / xylem
10. zym- / ferment / enzyme; lysozyme
Prefix/Suffix / Meaning / Example
1. acro- / height; extremity / acromegaly
2. aden- / gland / adenoid; adenectomy
3. –algia / pain ; complaint / neuralgia ; fibromyalgia
4. arth- ;arthro- / joint; jointed / arthropod; arthritis
5. calci- / chalk ; lime / calcification
6. card-; cardio- / heart / cardiogram; mycarditis
7. coch- / snail / cochlea
8. corpus- / body / corpus leuteum
9. cyst / a pouch or sac / ovarian cyst; blastocyst
10. –dactyl / fingers / polydactyl
Prefix/Suffix / Meaning / Example
1. dendr- / tree / dendrites
2. dys- / bad; difficult; painful / dysfunctional; dysmorphia
3. erythr- / red / erythrocyte
4. folli- / bag or sac / follicle
5. hem-; hemat- / blood / hemoglobin; hemorrhage
6. immune- / safe ; free / immunity
7. –itis / inflammation;irritation / appendicitis
8. leuco-;leuk- / white / leukemia
9. myo- / muscle / myocarditis
10. nephr- / kidney / nephron; nephritis
Prefix/Suffix / Meaning / Example
1. –neur / nerves / neuralgia; neurologist
2. pulmo- / lung / pulmonary
3. -renal / kidney / adrenal gland
4. -scler / hardness; stiffness / scleroderma; arteriosclerosis
5. –sperm- / seed / spermatozoan ; angiosperm
6. -thromb / a clot; lump / thrombosis
7. –tom / to cut or slice / anatomy; tomography
8. –ur; urin- / related to urine / urology; urination
9. tox / poisonous / intoxicated; toxic
10. zygo- / yolk / zygote; heterozygous