Prefix and Suffix Quiz: Say the Meaning Before I Do
Eight seconds. That is how long you get before I say what each term means, so say your answer out loud first, even when it's only a guess.
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Prefix and Suffix Quiz: Say the Meaning Before I Do
Every term in this episode comes from your terminology handout: 23 prefixes and 23 suffixes. The drill is the same all the way through. You hear the term, you say the meaning out loud before I do, and then the answer arrives with one example word. The full key is below, so you can check spelling after you've answered from memory.
How to use it
- Have the handout face down, or just leave it out of reach. Answering from memory is the point.
- Say your answer out loud inside the eight seconds, even when it's a guess. A wrong guess you had to reach for sticks better than a right answer you read.
- When a term doesn't come, don't rewind. Mark it and keep going — the terms you blanked on are the ones to write down tonight.
- Come back to the episode the day before the exam and answer along with it.
The key
Prefixes
| Prefix | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a-, an- | without, absence of | apnea |
| brady- | slow | bradycardia |
| tachy- | fast | tachycardia |
| hyper- | excessive, above | hypertension |
| hypo- | deficient, below | hypoglycemia |
| peri- | around | pericardium |
| epi- | upon, above | epidermis |
| sub- | under, below | subcutaneous |
| inter- | between | intercostal |
| intra- | within | intravenous |
| dys- | difficult, painful, abnormal | dyspnea |
| poly- | many | polyuria |
| olig- | few, scanty | oliguria |
| endo- | inside | endoscope |
| ecto-, exo- | outside | ectopic |
| bi- | two | bilateral |
| homo- | same | homostatic |
| macro- | large | macrocyte |
| micro- | small | microscope |
| neo- | new | neonatal |
| post- | after | postoperative |
| pre-, ante- | before | prenatal |
| anti-, contra- | against | antibiotic |
Suffixes
| Suffix | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -itis | inflammation | appendicitis |
| -osis | abnormal condition | cyanosis |
| -ectomy | surgical removal | appendectomy |
| -otomy | cutting into | tracheotomy |
| -ostomy | creation of an opening | colostomy |
| -plasty | surgical repair | rhinoplasty |
| -scopy | visual examination | endoscopy |
| -pathy | disease | neuropathy |
| -algia | pain | neuralgia |
| -emia | blood condition | anemia |
| -uria | urine condition | hematuria |
| -rrhea | discharge, flow | diarrhea |
| -rrhage, -rrhagia | bursting forth of blood | hemorrhage |
| -megaly | enlargement | cardiomegaly |
| -penia | deficiency | leukopenia |
| -phobia | fear | claustrophobia |
| -plegia | paralysis | paraplegia |
| -trophy | growth, development | hypertrophy |
| -genic | producing, causing | carcinogenic |
| -logy | study of | cardiology |
| -gram | recording (image or tracing) | electrocardiogram |
| -graphy | process of recording | radiography |
| -meter | instrument for measuring | thermometer |
Where the answers come from
The meanings and the example words follow the handout term by term, so what you practise here is what the exam asks for. Nothing was added to the list and nothing was left out.
The shape of the list
The prefixes mostly answer four questions: where something is, how much of it there is, when it happens, and what state it's in. The suffixes do the other job — they tell you what is being done to a patient, or what the patient has. Holding the two halves apart that way makes the look-alikes easier:
-otomy cuts into something, -ostomy makes a new opening, and -ectomy takes it out.This story was produced automatically by a channel. One sentence is all it takes for Neodrop to keep producing for you.