Prefixes, Suffixes, and Stems

The following list gives the meanings of prefixes, suffixes, and stems
that are commonly used to form scientific terms. Whenever you encounter
a new term in your study of biology or any science, break it apart and try
to find the parts in this list. Such a habit will greatly simplify your mastery
of scientific vocabulary.
As an example, you might take the word nephrology. The stem
nephro- is derived from the Greek word nephros, meaning kidney, while
the stem log-is derived from the Greek word logos, meaning thought or
study of. You might later encounter the word nephrolith, and you would
then only have to determine the meaning of the suffix –lith, since you
would already know the meaning of the first part of the word. After some
practice, you will be surprised how many new words you can define without
looking them up.
You should also be aware that is has often been necessary to add a
vowel when combining word parts for a more pleasing pronunciation. For
example, bacteri- + -logy becomes bacteriology. For the same reason it
has been necessary at times to drop or change a vowel in a prefix, suffix,
or stem. For example, gastro becomes gastric, the adjective pertaining to
the stomach.
Most scientific terms are derived from either the ancient Greek or the
Latin because neither of these languages is currently in use and they are
universally studied. Learning the meaning of the following word elements
will help develop your biological vocabulary.

Vocabulary Development Quizzes:

• See your course syllabus for the schedule of quiz dates. Dates are
subject to change if necessary…pay attention to updates in class.
• Know meanings of all terms VERY well! You will be asked to decipher
the meanings of new scientific terms that incorporate these word
elements.
• Each quiz will focus on a particular portion of the list, but will also
include word elements from previous quizzes…therefore, you will
need to continuously review past material.
 Prefixes, Suffixes, and Stems
a-, an- no, lacking, bio-; bi- life, living
none -blast- sprout, germ
ab- away from, out brachi- having arms
from branchi- having fins
ac- to, toward brev- short
-aceus; -aceous of or pertaining to bronch- windpipe
acou- hearing calor- heat
acr-; acro- extreme, peak carb- coal, carbon
ad- to, toward cardi- heart
adeno- gland carn- meat
agri- field, soil carp- fruit
-al having character of carpal- wrist
alb- white caud- tail
-algia pain
alto- high
ameb- change, cell- storeroom, chamber
alternation -cene new, recent
amphibi- leading a double life centi- hundredth
ampho-; amb- both centr- center
an- not, without cephal- head
ana- up cervic- neck
andro- masculine, chem.- referring to
man chemistry
anemo- wind chlor- green
angio- vessel chrom-, -chrome color
ante- before, ahead of chym- juice
time -cide killing
antero- front circum- around, about
antho- flower cirru- harilike curls
anti- against co- with, together
anthropo- man cocc- seed
ap- to, toward coel- hollow
aqu- water coll- glue
archaeo- primitive, ancient com- with, together
arthro- joint con- with, together
aster-; astr- stars coni- cone
-ate used in forming contra- against
verbs corp- body
from nouns cosmo- world, order, form
-ation used in forming cotyl- cup
nouns counter- against
from verbs crypt- hidden, covered
atom- vapor -cule, -culus added to
audi- hear nouns to form
auto- self diminutive
bactr- stick, club cucmul- heaped
barb- beard
cuti- skin fibr- fiber, thread
cyan- dark blue -fid, fis- divided into, split
-cycle, cycl- ring, circle -flect, -flex bend
cyst- bladder, pouch flor- flower
cyt-; -cyte cell, receptacle fluor- fluorine
dactyl- finger foli- leaf
deca- ten fract- break
deci- tenth galact-, galax milk, milky
deliquesce- become fluid fluid
demi- half gastro- stomach
dendr- tree geo- land, earth
dent- tooth -gen, -gine producer, former
derm- skin -gene, gene- origin
di- two, double -gest carry, produce
dia- through, across glob ball, round
digit finger, toe glottis mouth of
din- terrible windpipe
dis- apart, out -gon angle, corner
dorm- sleep -gony offspring,
dors- back generation,
du-, duo two coming into being
-duct lead -grade step, division
dynam- power -gram writing, record
dys- ill, bad, difficult -graphy, -graph writing, record
ec- out of, outside grav- heavy
echin- spiny, prickly gross thick
eco- house gymno- naked
gyn- female
gyr- ring, circle, spiral
ect- outside, without haem-, hem- blood
electro- electric, electricity hepat- liver
en- in, into herb- grass
-en made of hetero- different, other
encephal- brain hex- six
end-, ent- within, in hibern- winter
enter- intestines
-eous nature of, like
epi- on, above hipp- horse
-err wander, go astray hist- tissue
erythro- red holo- entire, whole,
ethno- race, people complete
eu- true, well, good homo- man
extra- beyond, outside of homo- same, alike
ex- out of hort- garden
-fer bear, carry, hybrid mongrel
produce hydr- water
ferro- iron hygr- wet, moist
hypo- beneath, under, less
hyper- above,
beyond, over
hypno- sleep -meter, -metry instrument for
-ic added to nouns to measuring
form adjectives metro- uterus
ichthy- fish
ign- fire
im- not micro- small
in- to, toward, into milli- thousandth
in- not mis- wrong, incorrect
-ine of or pertaining to mito- thread, filament
infro- below, beneath mole- mass
inter- between moll- soft
intra- within, inside mono- one, single
-ion go, come mont- mountain
-ism a state or condition mort- death
iso- equal, same mov-, -mot move
-itis inflammation, morph- shape, form
disease multi- many
kilo- thousand mycel- threadlike
lachry- tear mycet- fungus
lact- milk myo muscle
lat- side, flank myriad- many
-less without nas- nose
leuc- white, bright, light nemat- thread
lign- wood neo- new, recent
lin- line nephro- kidney
lingu- tongue -ner- moist, liquid
liqu- become fluid, liquid neur-, nerv- nerve, tendon
lip- fat noct-, nox- night
lith-, -lite stone, petrifying -node knot
loc- place -nomy, -nome distribute, arrange
-logy study non- not
-lysis, -lyte not- back
-lyst dissolve, nuc- center
decompose ob- against
macr- large ocul- eye
mal- bad, evil oct- eight
malle- hammer odont- tooth
mamm- breast -oid like in form or
marg- border, edge shape
mast- breast olf- smell
med- middle omni- all
meg- great, million oo- egg
mela-, melan- black, dark opthal- eye
mes- middle, half, opt-, opsy eye, vision
intermediate orb- circle, round, ring
met-, meta- between, along, orth- straight, correct,
after right
meteor- lofty, high, in air oscu- mouth
oste- bone quadr- four, four-fold
-ous full of, abounding in quin- five
ov- egg radi- ray, spoke of a
oxy- sharp, acid, oxygen wheel
pachy- thick re- again, back
paleo- ancient, old rect- correct, right
palm- broad, flat ren- kidney
pan- all ret- net, make like a net
par- beside, near, equal, rhin- nose
bring forth rhiz- root
path-, -pathy disease, rubr- red
suffering saccharo- sugar
-ped foot sapr- rotten
pent- five saur- lizard
scler- hard
sci- know
per- through scope look, observe
permea- pass, go -scribe, script write
phag- eat semi- half, partly
pheno- show
phil- loving, fond of
phon-, -phone sound sept- partition, seven
-phore bearer septic putrefaction,
photo- light infection
phyc- seaweed, algae sex- six
-phyll leaf -sis condition, state
physi- nature, sol- sun
natural solv- loosen, free
qualities somn- sleep
-phyte, phyt plant son- sound
plan- roaming, wandering spec, spic- look at
plasm-, -plast form, formed into sperm- seed
pleur- rib, lung sphere- ball
pneumo- lungs, air -spire breath
-pod foot spore seed
poly- many, several stat- standing, placed
por- opening stell- stars
port- carry stern- breast, chest
post- after, behind stom-, -stome mouth
pom- fruit strat- layer
pre- before, ahead of stereo- solid, three
time dimensions
pro- forward, favoring strict- drawn tight
procto- rectum, anus styl- pillar
proto- first, primary sub- under, below
pseud- false, deceptive super- over, above,
pter- having wings or fins on top
pulmo- lung sur- over, above, on top
puls- drive, push sym-, syn- together
pyr- heat, fire tachy- quick, swift
tarso- ankle
tax- arrangement
tele- far off, at a distance
terr- earth
tetr- four
thall young shoot
therm- heat
-tom cut, slice
toxico- poison
top- place
trans- across
tri- three
trich- hair
troph- one who
feeds
trop- turning, changing
-ule diminutive
ultra- beyond
ur- urine
vas- vessel
vect- carry
ven-, vent- come
ventr- belly
vice- in place of
vig- strong
vit-, viv- life
volv- roll, wander
vor- devour, eat
xanthin- yellow
zo-, zoa- animal
zyg- yolk
zym- yeast