SAMPLE COURSE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Word Building - Introduction
Word Building Basics
Word Building Basics (cont)
Word Building Review
Word Building Components
Prefixes
Suffixes
Root Words
Pronunciation of Terms
Exercise I - Term Division
Exercise II - Term Meanings
Sample Test
Evaluation

LEARNING TOOLS

Course Flash Cards
Component Glossary
Component Glossary Flash Cards

SUFFIXES

The beginning of the word suffix is SUF-, which comes from the Latin SUB- (also a medical prefix) meaning ‘beneath’, ‘behind’, or ‘below’. FIX comes from the Latin figere, meaning ‘to fasten’. Therefore, the term a suffix means ‘to fasten behind a root word’ to add to the meaning of a term.

The suffix is the ending part of a medical term which modifies the terms meaning. Most medical terms will have a suffix. When you see a hyphen or a dash ( - ) before a component term, this means it is a suffix, as shown below in the examples:

Examples:

-gram

-osis

-itis

-al
 

record

abnormal condition

inflammation

pertaining to

SUFFIXES

MEANINGS
-al pertaining to
-algia pain
-ectomy removal, excision
-gnosis about the patient’s condition
-gram recording
-ic pertaining to
-itis Inflammation
-logy study of
-osis abnormal condition
-scopy process of visual examination
   

(This is a Sampler of our terminology course; therefore all suffixes are not listed here)

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