Medical Terminology / 1
Common Combining Forms
Combining Form / Definition / Example / Combining Form / Definition / Exampleabdomin/o
lapar/o / abdomen / abdominal-pertaiing to the abdomen
laparotomy-incision into the abdomen / angi/o
vas/o
vascul/o / vessel / angioplasty-surgical repair of a blood vessel
vasectomy-excision of a vessel
vascular-pertaining to a vessel
acr/o / extremity or topmost / acrodynia-pain in an extremity / aden/o / gland / adenoma-gland tumor
aer/o / air or gas / aerobic-pertaining to air / carcin/o / cancer / carcinogenic-pertaining to production of cancer
cardi/o / heart / cardiologist-one who specializes in treatment of the heart / cephal/o / head / cephalic-pertaining to the head
cyan/o / blue / cyanotic-pertaining to blue / cyt/o / cell / cytology-study of cells
derm/o
dermat/o
cutane/o / skin / dermal-pertaining to the skin
dermatology-study of the skin
cutaneous-pertaining to the skin / dextr/o / right or on the right side / dextrocardia-condition of the heart on the right side
erythr/o / red / erythrocyte-red cell / fibr/o / fiber / fibroma-fiber tumor
gastr/o / stomach / gastric-pertaining to the stomach / gen/o / origin or production / osteogenic-pertaining to origin or production of bone
Combining Form / Definition / Example / Combining Form / Definition / Example
gluc/o
glucos/o
glyc/o / sugar / glucogenesis-origin or production or sugar
glucose-sugar
glycolysis-breakdown or dissolution of sugar / hem/o
hemat/o / blood / hemogram-record of blood
hematology-study of blood
hepat/o / liver / hepatoma-tumor of the liver / hydr/o / water / hydrophobia-exaggerated fear of water
leuk/o / white / leukocyte-white cell / lip/o / fat / lipoid-resembling fat
lith/o / stone / lithiasis-formation or presence of a stone / melan/o / black / melanoma-black tumor
morph/o / form / morphology-study of form / nas/o
rhin/o / nose / nasal-pertaining to the nose
rhinitis-inflammation of the nose
necr/o / death / necrocytosis-condition or increase of cell death / or/o / mouth / oral-pertaining to the mouth
orth/o / straight, normal, or correct / orthostatic-pertaining to standing straight / oste/o / bone / osteal-pertaining to bone
phob/o / exaggerated fear or sensitivity / hydrophobia-exaggerated fear of water
photophobia-sensitivity to light / ped/o / child or foot / pediatrics-treatment of child
pedal-pertaining to the foot
path/o / disease / pathology-study of disease / phon/o / voice or sound / phonic-pertaining to voice or sound
plas/o / formation / dysplasia-condition of faulty formation / pod/o / foot / podiatry-treatment of the foot
Combining Form / Definition / Example / Combining Form / Definition / Example
psych/o / mind / psychology-study of the mind / py/o / pus / pyopoiesis-formation of pus
ren/o
nephr/o / kidney / renal-pertaining to the kidney
nephrosis-condition of the kidney / tox/o
toxic/o / poison / toxemia-poison in blood
toxicology-study of poison
scler/o / hard / sclerosis-a condition of hardness / sinistr/o / left or on the left side / sinistropedal-pertaining to the left foot
son/o / sound / sonometer-an instrument to measure sound / sten/o / narrow / stenosis-a condition of narrow
ur/o
urin/o / urine / urology-study of urine
urinary-pertaining to urine / troph/o / nourishment or development / trophocyte-a cell that provides nourishment
hypertrophy-condition of excessive development