A medical suffix attaches to the end of a term and usually indicates a condition, procedure, or diagnosis. Here are the high-frequency suffixes with meanings and clinical examples.
| Suffix | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -algia | pain | arthralgia, neuralgia |
| -ectomy | surgical removal | appendectomy, cholecystectomy |
| -emia | blood condition | anemia, hyperglycemia |
| -genesis | origin, production | oncogenesis, hematopoiesis |
| -gram | record, image | electrocardiogram, mammogram |
| -graphy | process of recording | echocardiography, angiography |
| -itis | inflammation | appendicitis, hepatitis |
| -logy | study of | cardiology, neurology |
| -lysis | breakdown, destruction | hemolysis, fibrinolysis |
| -megaly | enlargement | hepatomegaly, splenomegaly |
| -oma | tumor, mass | melanoma, carcinoma |
| -osis | condition, abnormal process | thrombosis, fibrosis |
| -pathy | disease, disorder | neuropathy, cardiomyopathy |
| -penia | deficiency, decrease | thrombocytopenia, leukopenia |
| -plasty | surgical repair | rhinoplasty, angioplasty |
| -plegia | paralysis | hemiplegia, paraplegia |
| -rrhea | flow, discharge | diarrhea, rhinorrhea |
| -scopy | visual examination | colonoscopy, bronchoscopy |
| -stomy | surgical opening | colostomy, tracheostomy |
| -tomy | incision, cutting into | laparotomy, craniotomy |
| -uria | urine condition | hematuria, proteinuria |
| -phagia | eating, swallowing | dysphagia, polyphagia |
A suffix is the ending of a medical term that classifies it — typically as a condition (-itis, -osis), procedure (-ectomy, -scopy), specialty (-ology, -iatry), or symptom (-algia, -emia). Suffixes usually determine what kind of word you're reading.
About 80–100 suffixes cover almost all clinical vocabulary. They cluster into a small number of categories (inflammation, removal, viewing, study of, pain, blood condition), which makes them faster to learn than roots.
An -ectomy is the surgical removal of something (appendectomy = remove the appendix). An -otomy is a surgical incision into something (tracheotomy = cut into the trachea, without removing it). One letter, very different procedures.
-itis means inflammation. It's one of the highest-frequency medical suffixes: arthritis (joint), tonsillitis (tonsils), gastritis (stomach), pericarditis (around the heart), nephritis (kidney).
-itis (inflammation), -osis (condition), -emia (blood), -algia (pain), -ectomy (removal), -otomy (incision), -ostomy (creating an opening), -scopy (viewing), -graphy (recording), -ology (study of), and -pathy (disease).