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Suffixes:
Disease/change in the body
The following table consists of suffixes showing disease or change in the body.
| Suffix | Meaning | Example |
| -algia | pain |
talalgia ankle |
| -cele | hernia |
gastrocele stomach |
| -dynia |
pain, swelling |
urodynia urine |
| -ectasis |
dilation, expansion |
bronchiolectasis bronchus |
| -(a)emia | blood |
leuk(a)emia white |
| -gen |
producing, beginning |
carcinogen cancer |
| -iasis | abnormal condition, formation of, presence of |
cholelithiasis gall stone |
| -itis | inflammation |
hepatitis stomach |
| -malacia | softening |
osteomalacia bone |
| -megaly | enlargement |
splenomegaly spleen |
| -oid | resemble |
fibroid fibres |
| -oma | tumour |
adenoma gland |
| -osis | abnormal condition, |
dermatosis skin |
| -pathy | disease |
nephropathy kidney |
| -penia |
decrease, deficiency |
erthyropenia red (cell) |
| -phagia |
eating, swallowing |
dysphagia difficult |
| -phasia | speech |
aphasia without |
| -plegia |
paralysis, stroke |
hemiplegia half |
| -phobia | fear |
acrophobia heights |
| -ptosis |
prolapse, falling dropping |
blepharoptosis eyelid |
| -rrhage | burst forth |
haemorrhage blood |
| -rrhea |
discharge, flow of watery stools |
diarrhea |
| -rrhexis | rupture |
enterorrhexis intestines |
| -sclerosis | hardening |
artheriosclerosis joints |
| -spasm |
involuntary contraction, twitching |
bronchospasm bronchus |
Suffixes: Surgery-incisions
These suffixes describe types of incisions made during surgery.
|
Suffix |
Meaning |
Example |
|
-ectomy |
removal |
mastectomy |
|
-centesis |
tap, puncture |
thoracentesis |
|
-stomy |
mouth, forming an opening |
colostomy
|
|
-tomy |
incision, |
tracheotomy |
The following suffixes also describe surgery in terms of repairing, rebuilding, reconstructing, or binding
|
Suffix |
Meaning |
Example |
|
-desis |
binding , |
pleurodesis |
|
-rrhapy |
suture |
arteriorrhaphy |
|
-pexy |
fixation, |
gastropexy |
|
-plasty |
formation, |
rhinoplasty |
|
-clasis |
to
break down, |
osteoclasis |
|
-lysis |
loosen, free |
enterolysis |
|
-tripsy |
to crush |
cholelithotripsy |
Suffixes used for diagnoses
|