Combining Forms

PREFIX / MEANING / EXAMPLE
a, an / not, without lack of / avirulent (lacking virulence)
able / capable of / viable (having the ability to live)
aer(o) / air / aerobic (uses air)
ameb / change / amoeboid (movement involving change)
amphi / around / amphitrichous (tuft of flagella)
amyl, amylo / starch / amylase (enzyme that breaks down starch)
ana / up / anabolism (building up)
anti / against / antisepsis (against infection)
archae / primitive / Archaea(primitivelike bacteria)
ase / enzyme / penicillinase (enzyme that breaks down penicillin)
aur / gold / Staphylococcus aureus (has gold colored colonies)
auto / arising from self / autotroph (selffeeders); autolysis
baciil, bacilli / small staff, rod / bacillus (rodshaped bacteria)
bio / life / biomass (living matter)
cata / down / catabolism (breaking down)
chrome / pigment / cytochrome
-cide / killing / fungicide (kills fungus)
co, corn, con / together / coenzyme
cyt, cyto, cyte / cell / leukocytes (white blood cell)
desulfo, desulfuro / reducing sulfur compounds / Desulfovibrio (anaerobic sulfate reducers)
di, diplo / two, double / dimorphic (occurring in two forms)
dia / across, completely / diagnosis (complete knowledge)
emia / blood / viremia (viruses in the blood)
endo / within / endogenous (growing in the host)
enter, entero / intestine / enteric bacteria (bacteria that live in the gut)
epi / upon on / Staphylococcus epidermis (lives on the skin)
erythro / red / erythromycin (antibiotic that may cause a red rash)
eu / well, good / euphoria
exo, extra / outside / extracellular (outside cell)
geno, genesis / origin / pathogenesis (cause or origin of a disease)
glyc, glyco / sweet, sugar / glycolysis (break down of sugar)
halo / salt, saltwater / halophile (salt loving microbes)
hem(a,o), hemato / blood / hemoglobin (protein found in red blood cells)
hepat, hepato / liver / Hepatitis B virus (a virus that infects the liver)
heter(o) / different, other / heterotroph (eats other organisms)
holo / complete / holoenzyme
hom, homo / like, similar / homologous; homozygous (same genes)
hydro / wet, water / hydrophobic (nonpolar "water fearing" compounds)
hyp, hypo / under, deficiency, below / hypotension (low blood pressure)
hyper / excessive, above normal / hypertonic (comparatively more salt))
ia(sis) / abnormal or disease condition / anemia; giardiasis (disease caused by Giardia)
immun / resistance / immune (resistant to a disease)
inter / between / intercellular intercostal (between ribs)
intra, intro / into, within / intracellular (within cells)
-ism / condition or disease / parasitism (disease due to a parasite)
iso / same, equal / isotonic (same solute concentrations)
itis / inflammation / dermatitis (inflammation of the skin)
kary, karyo / nucleus, nuclear / karyogamy (fusion of nuclei)
leuco, leuko / white / leucocyte (white blood cell)
lip, lipo / relating to fats (lipids) / lipase (enzyme that degrades lipids)
lith, litho / stone, mineral / lithotrophs (bacteria that oxidize inorganics)
lysis / breaking up, dissolving / hemolysis (rupturing red blood cells)
macro / large / macroscopic (can see without a microscope)
meso / middle / mesophilic (optimum growth at mild temperatures)
meta / beyond, after, change / metastasis (beyond original position)
metry / measurement / symmetry
micro / small / microorganism (organisms to small to be seen)
milli / onethousandth / millimeter (1/1000th of a milliter)
mono / one, single / monotrichous (one flagella)
morph, morpho / form / morphology (scientific study of structures / form)
multi / many, much / multinuclear
mycet, myco / fungus / actinomyces (bacteria that resemble molds)
mycin / substance from fungus / streptomycin (antibiotic from fungus like bacteria
nano / onebillionth part of (109) / manometer (1/1,000,000,000th of a meter)
nitro / nitrous, producing nitrate / Nitrobacter (oxidizes nitrites to nitrates)
noso / disease / nosocomial (disease acquired in hospitals / clinics)
olig, oligo / few, deficiency / oligosaccharide (chain of 3 9 monosaccharides)
ose / sugar / lactose (a type of sugar)
osis / process or condition / leucocytosis (condition of too many leukocytes)
oxy, oxi / oxygen / peroxidase (breaks down toxic form of oxygen)
pan / all, many / pandemic (worldwide disease)
path, patho / disease / pathogen (causes a disease)
pathy / denoting disease / cytopathy
peri / about, around / peritrichous (flagella around the whole cell)
phag(e), phago / eat / bacteriophage
phil(ic) / like, love, loving / hydrophilic (water loving)
phobia, phobic / fear / hydrophobia (fear of water)
phore / bearer of / conidiophore
photo / light / photosynthesis (uses light energy to make food)
piokilo / varied / poikilocytosis
pleo / more, multiple / pleomorphic (has many shapes)
poly / many, much / polysaccharide (contains many sugars)
post / after, behind / postnatal postoperative (after operation)
pre / before / prognosis (foreknowledge)precursor
pro, proto / before / prokaryotic (evolved before the nucleus)
pseudo / false / pseudopod
psychr(o) / cold / psychrophile (optimum growth below 20C)
pyo / pus / Streptococcus pyogenes (causes pus)
retro / backward / retrovirus (goes from RNA to DNA)
sacchar, saccharo / sugar / saccharophilic (sugar loving bacteria)
scope, scopy / instrument for examining / microscope (used to study microbes)
semi / half / semiconscious (half conscious)
septic / putrefaction, infection / antiseptic (used to prevent infection)
stasis / stop, inhibition of growth / bacteriostasis (prevent bacteria from growing)
sub / under, below / submicroscopic (below resolution of microscope)
super / above, excessive / supernatant (situated above)
sym, syn / with, together / symbiosis(living together)
tax, taxi, taxo / arrangement / taxonomy (grouping organisms together)
therap / treat, cure / chemotheraphy (use of chemicals to treat disease)
thi, thio / presence of sulfur / Thiobacillus (sulfuroxidizing bacteria)
trans / across, through / transduction (pick of DNA across the membrane)
trich, tricho / hair, filament / trichome
tropho, trophic / nourish / autotroph (self nourishing)
-tropic / having an affinity for / dermatotropic