Medical Terminology: Chapter 3 – Prefixes

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Chapter 3: Prefixes in Medical Terminology

Introduction to Prefixes

Prefixes are essential components of medical terms, appearing at the beginning of words to modify their meanings. Understanding prefixes helps in deciphering complex medical vocabulary, as they can alter the meaning of word roots or suffixes. Prefixes may be attached directly to suffixes, and their use is not limited to a single medical specialty or body system.

Definition: A prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a root word or suffix to change its meaning.
Function: Prefixes can indicate diseases, abnormal conditions, directions, body positions, numbers, quantities, time, or general characteristics.
Example: Changing the prefix in the term -trophy (development) results in different meanings:
- Hypertrophy: Excessive development
- Dystrophy: Abnormal development
- Atrophy: Lack of development

Categories of Prefixes

Prefixes in medical terminology are commonly grouped into the following categories:

Diseases or abnormal conditions
Directions or body positions
Numbers or quantity measurements
Time
General prefixes

Prefixes Indicating Diseases or Abnormal Conditions

These prefixes describe pathological states or abnormal conditions in the body.

Prefix	Meaning	Example	Explanation
a-	without	aphasia	Without speech
an-	without	anoxia	Without oxygen
anti-	against	antibiotic	Against life (kills microorganisms)
brady-	slow	bradycardia	Slow heartbeat
de-	without	dehydration	Without water
dys-	painful, difficult, abnormal	dyspnea	Difficulty breathing
pachy-	thick	pachyderma	Thick skin
pseudo-	false	pseudocyesis	False pregnancy
tachy-	fast	tachycardia	Fast heartbeat

Prefixes Indicating Directions or Body Positions

These prefixes specify the location or direction of a structure or process in the body.

Prefix	Meaning	Example	Explanation
ante-	in front of	anteorbital	In front of the eye socket
endo-	within, inner	endoscope	Instrument for viewing within
epi-	above	epigastric	Above the stomach
ex-	outward	exophthalmos	Eyes protruding outward
hypo-	below	hypogastric	Below the stomach
infra-	below	infraorbital	Below the eye socket
in-	inward	inhalation	To breathe inward
inter-	between	intervertebral	Between vertebrae
intra-	within	intravenous	Inside a vein
para-	beside, two like parts of a pair	paranasal, paraplegia	Beside the nose; paralysis of two like parts (legs)
peri-	around	periodontal	Around a tooth
retro-	behind	retroperitoneal	Behind the peritoneum
sub-	under	subcutaneous	Under the skin
supra-	above	suprapubic	Above the pubic bone
trans-	across	transurethral	Across the urethra

Prefixes Indicating Numbers or Quantity Measurements

These prefixes denote the number, amount, or size of something in medical terms.

Prefix	Meaning	Example	Explanation
bi-	two	bilateral	Two sides
di-	two	diplegia	Paralysis of two extremities
hemi-	half	hemiplegia	Paralysis of one side (half) of the body
hyper-	excessive	hyperemesis	Excessive vomiting
hypo-	insufficient	hypocalcemia	Insufficient calcium in the blood
micro-	small	microscope	Instrument for viewing small things
mono-	one	monoplegia	Paralysis of one extremity
multi-	many	multigravida	More than one pregnancy
nulli-	none	nulligravida	No pregnancies
pan-	all	pansinusitis	Inflammation of all sinuses
poly-	many	polyarteritis	Many inflamed arteries
primi-	first	primigravida	First pregnancy
quadri-	four	quadriplegia	Paralysis of all four extremities
tri-	three	triplegia	Paralysis of three extremities
ultra-	excess	ultrasound	Excess (high) sound wave frequency
uni-	one	unilateral	One side

Prefixes Indicating Time

These prefixes relate to the timing of events or conditions in medical contexts.

Prefix	Meaning	Example	Explanation
ante-	before	antepartum	Before birth
neo-	new	neonate	Newborn
post-	after	postpartum	After birth
pre-	before	premenstrual	Before menstruation

General Prefixes

General prefixes are used across various medical terms to indicate broad concepts.

Prefix	Meaning	Example	Explanation
auto-	self	autograft	Graft from one’s own body
eu-	normal	eupnea	Normal breathing
hetero-	different	heterograft	Graft from a different species
homo-	same	homograft	Graft from the same species
per-	through	percutaneous	Through the skin

Summary Table: Prefix Categories and Examples

Category	Prefix Example	Meaning	Sample Term
Diseases/Abnormal Conditions	dys-	abnormal	dyspnea
Directions/Positions	sub-	under	subcutaneous
Numbers/Quantities	bi-	two	bilateral
Time	pre-	before	premenstrual
General	auto-	self	autograft

Key Points for Study

Prefixes are critical for understanding and constructing medical terms.
Changing a prefix can significantly alter the meaning of a term.
Prefixes are not limited to one body system and are used across medical disciplines.
Mastery of common prefixes aids in rapid comprehension of unfamiliar medical vocabulary.

Example Application

Term: Hypoglycemia
Breakdown: hypo- (insufficient) + glyc- (sugar) + -emia (blood condition)
Meaning: Insufficient sugar in the blood

Additional info: Prefixes may sometimes be combined with suffixes directly, especially in terms describing conditions or procedures (e.g., antibiotic).