A one-page medical terminology cheat sheet with the highest-yield prefixes, roots, suffixes, and abbreviations for nursing, medical assistant, and med students.
| Prefix | Meaning |
|---|---|
| a-, an- | without, absence of |
| brady- | slow |
| tachy- | fast, rapid |
| dys- | difficult, abnormal, painful |
| hyper- | excessive, above normal |
| hypo- | below normal, deficient |
| endo- | within, inner |
| peri- | around, surrounding |
| epi- | upon, above |
| inter- | between |
| Root | Meaning |
|---|---|
| cardi(o)- | heart |
| angi(o)- | vessel, duct |
| thromb(o)- | clot |
| hem(o)-, hemat(o)- | blood |
| encephal(o)- | brain |
| neur(o)- | nerve |
| my(o)- | muscle |
| arthr(o)- | joint |
| oste(o)- | bone |
| hepat(o)- | liver |
| gastr(o)- | stomach |
| enter(o)- | intestine |
| Suffix | Meaning |
|---|---|
| -algia | pain |
| -ectomy | surgical removal |
| -emia | blood condition |
| -genesis | origin, production |
| -gram | record, image |
| -graphy | process of recording |
| -itis | inflammation |
| -logy | study of |
| -lysis | breakdown, destruction |
| -megaly | enlargement |
| -oma | tumor, mass |
| -osis | condition, abnormal process |
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| BID | Twice a day |
| TID | Three times a day |
| QID | Four times a day |
| QD / daily | Once a day |
| QOD | Every other day |
| QH | Every hour |
| Q4H, Q6H, Q8H | Every 4 / 6 / 8 hours |
| HS | At bedtime |
| AC | Before meals |
| PC | After meals |
The most useful cheat sheet focuses on building blocks rather than complete terms. This page lists the highest-yield prefixes, roots, suffixes, and clinical abbreviations on one page — the same morphemes that appear in thousands of clinical terms.
Yes. Use your browser's print function (Ctrl/Cmd+P) to print the page or save it as a PDF. The tables are formatted to print cleanly across a few pages.
Roughly 100 prefixes, 100 roots, and 50 suffixes cover the vast majority of clinical vocabulary. The cheat sheet on this page focuses on the highest-frequency subset of each — about 60 morphemes total — that you'll see daily.
A cheat sheet is a starting reference, not a study plan. To build real fluency you need to apply the morphemes in clinical context — which is what our interactive games are designed to do.
A glossary is comprehensive (every term in alphabetical order); a cheat sheet is curated (only the most-used items, organized for fast scanning). Use the cheat sheet for daily quick reference and the glossary when you encounter an unfamiliar term.
Yes. The morpheme system underlying NCLEX vocabulary, USMLE clinical terminology, MCAT passages, and HOSA exams is the same. Mastering the high-yield set on this page transfers directly to all of them.