How the Unit 4 Word List Was Built
| Etymology | Prefix | "Pre-Root" | Root Root | "Post-Root" | Suffix1 Word End |
Suffix2 Word End |
Word |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latin ab–, "off" + radere, "to scrape" | ab | ras | ion | abrasion | |||
| Latin ab–, "off" + cedere, "to withdraw", based on the idea that a bodily humor is escaping into the abscess | ab | scess | abscess | ||||
| Latin aknas, 6th century misreading of Greek akmas, "point" (cf. acme) | acne | acne | |||||
| actin | ic | actinic | |||||
| adip/o | cyte | adipocyte | |||||
| albin | ism | albinism | |||||
| Despite their depictions in fiction, albinos are not evil. | albin | o | albino | ||||
| Graft from a different member of the same species | allo | graft | allograft | ||||
| Greek alōpēx, "fox", because fox-mange (alōpēkia) is supposedly transferred to humans | alopec | ia | alopecia | ||||
| ana | gen | anagen | |||||
| andro | gen | androgen | |||||
| an | esthe | tic | anesthetic | ||||
| angi[o] | oma | angioma | |||||
| an | hidr | osis | anhidrosis | ||||
| anti | hist | amine | antihistamine | ||||
| anti | pruritic | antipruritic | |||||
| anti | septic | antiseptic | |||||
| a | top | ic | atopic | ||||
| a | trich | osis | atrichosis | ||||
| a graft from one's own tissue (or an identical twin's) | auto | graft | autograft | ||||
| bili | rub | in | bilirubin | ||||
| bi[o] | ops | y | biopsy | ||||
| bulla | |||||||
| Greek karkinos, "crab" + –oma. The Greek physicians named cancers after a crab because their tendency to spread their "claws" into tissues and hold on tenaciously, like a crab. The plural of carcinoma is carcinomata. | carcin | oma | carcinoma | ||||
| carot[a] | ene | carotene | |||||
| cata | gen | catagen | |||||
| The Latin word cauterium means "branding iron", from the Greek kauter, "burn". | cauter[ium] | cauterize | |||||
| cauter[ium] | y | cautery | |||||
| chemo | surgery | chemosurgery | |||||
| chemo | therapy | chemotherapy | |||||
| cicatrix | cicatrix | ||||||
| circ | ula | tion | circulation | ||||
| Latin comedere, "eat up"; originally used to describe parasitic worms, now used to describe the sebaceous secretions that resemble small worms that come out of zits (which, somehow, is even more disgusting than popping a zit.) | comedo | comedo | |||||
| corneo | cyte | corneocyte | |||||
| crust | crust | ||||||
| cryo | surgery | cryosurgery | |||||
| cutane | ous | cutaneous | |||||
| Latin cubare, "to lie down" (cubicle comes from the same root) | de | cub | itus | decubitus | |||
| dendr | itic | dendritic | |||||
| de | pigment | ation | depigmentation | ||||
| derm | abrasion | dermabrasion | |||||
| dermat | algia | dermatalgia | |||||
| dermat | itis | dermatitis | |||||
| dermato | dynia | dermatodynia | |||||
| dermato | fibr | oma | dermatofibroma | ||||
| dermato | logy | dermatology | |||||
| dermato | lysis | dermatolysis | |||||
| dermato | myc | osis | dermatomycosis | ||||
| dermato | scop | y | dermatoscopy | ||||
| dermat[o] | osis | dermatosis | |||||
| dermis | dermis | ||||||
| dermo | pathy | dermopathy | |||||
| dermo | scopy | dermoscopy | |||||
| dys | plas[ie] | tic | dysplastic | ||||
| Latin ecchymōsis, "pouring out" | ecchymosis | ecchymosis | |||||
| Greek ek (ex) + krīnō, "separate" | ec | crine | eccrine | ||||
| Greek ek (ex) + zein "to boil" | ec | zema | eczema | ||||
| electro | cauter[ium] | iz[e] | ation | electrocauterization | |||
| de | electro | sicc | ation | electrodesiccation | |||
| epi | derm | al | epidermal | ||||
| epi | dermis | epidermis | |||||
| Greek ep[i]– + onúkhion, "little claw" | ep[i] | onych | ium | eponychium | |||
| Latin e[x]- + rodere "to gnaw" | e | rosion | erosion | ||||
| eryth | ema | erythema | |||||
| erythr/o | cyan | osis | erythrocyanosis | ||||
| erythr/o | derm | a | erythroderma | ||||
| eu | melan[o] | in | eumelanin | ||||
| Latin e[x]- + vapor "steam" | e | vapora[te] | tion | evaporation | |||
| ex | cision | al | excisional | ||||
| ex | cori | ation | excoriation | ||||
| fissure | fissure | ||||||
| Latin glaber, "hairless, smooth, bald" | glabr | ous | glabrous | ||||
| gran | ule | granule | |||||
| hemat[o] | hidr[o] | osis | hemathidrosis | ||||
| "Graft" is taken from the Greek graphein, "to write", because of the resemblance of a plant graft to a writing pen | hetero | graft | heterograft | ||||
| Latin & Greek hidrō, "sweat" | hidr | aden | oma | hidradenoma | |||
| Hidradenitis suppurativa is a chronic inflammatory skin condition | hidr | aden | itis | hidradentitis | |||
| hidro | poiesis | hidropoiesis | |||||
| same as allograft | homo | graft | homograft | ||||
| hyper | hidr | osis | hyperhidrosis | ||||
| hyper | kerato | hyperkeratosis | |||||
| hyper | melan | osis | hypermelanosis | ||||
| hyper | pigment | ation | hyperpigmentation | ||||
| hyper | trich | osis | hypertrichosis | ||||
| hypo | derm | icle | hypodermic | ||||
| hypo | dermis | hypodermis | |||||
| hypo | hidr | osis | hypohidrosis | ||||
| hypo | melan | osis | hypomelanosis | ||||
| hyp[o] | onych | ium | hyponychium | ||||
| hypo | pigment | ation | hypopigmentation | ||||
| ichthy | osis | ichthyosis | |||||
| Latin impetere, "to attack" (cf. impetus) | impetigo | impetigo | |||||
| Latin in– + cidere, "cut" | incision | incision | |||||
| intra | derm | al | intradermal | ||||
| French jaunice, "yellowness" (jaune is French for "yellow") | jaun | dice | jaundice | ||||
| kel | oid | keloid | |||||
| kerat | cyte | cyte | in + o | keratinocyte | |||
| kerat/o | derma | keratoderma | |||||
| kerat/o | gen | ic | keratogenic | ||||
| kerat | osis | keratosis | |||||
| leuk/o | derm | a | leukoderma | ||||
| lip | ectomy | lipectomy | |||||
| lip | oma | lipoma | |||||
| lip/o | suction | liposuction | |||||
| lun | ula | lunula | |||||
| macer | ate | macerate | |||||
| macule | |||||||
| melan | in | melanin | |||||
| melan/o | cyte | melanocyte | |||||
| melan | oma | melanoma | |||||
| melan/o | some | melanosome | |||||
| myc/o | dermat | itis | mycodermatitis | ||||
| myc | osis | mycosis | |||||
| myring/o | derm/at | itis | myringodermatitis | ||||
| necr | osis | necrosis | |||||
| neo | plasm | neoplasm | |||||
| Latin nevus, "a mark"; now means a mole | nevus | nevus | |||||
| nod[e] | ule | nodule | |||||
| onych | algia | onychalgia | |||||
| onych | ectomy | onychectomy | |||||
| onych | ia | onychia | |||||
| onych/o | crypt | osis | onychocryptosis | ||||
| onych/o + dys | trophy | onychodystrophy | |||||
| onych/o | lysis | onycholysis | |||||
| onych/o | malacia | onychomalacia | |||||
| onych/o | myc | osis | onychomycosis | ||||
| onycho | pathy | onychopathy | |||||
| onycho | phag | ia | onychophagia | ||||
| onycho | tomy | onychotomy | |||||
| pachy | derma | pachyderma | |||||
| papilla | papilla | ||||||
| papill[a] | ary | papillary | |||||
| pap[illa] | ule | papule | |||||
| par | onych[o] | ia | paronychia | ||||
| per | cutane | ous | percutaneous | ||||
| permeable | ity | permeability | |||||
| petechia | petechia | ||||||
| pheo | melan[o] | in | pheomelanin | ||||
| pigment | pigment | ||||||
| Latin pilus, "hair" + nidus, "nest" | pilo | nid | al | pilonidal | |||
| Latin pilus, "hair" + sebaceous gland | pil/o | seba | ceous | pilosebaceous | |||
| plaque | plaque | ||||||
| pro | tect | ion | protection | ||||
| prur[is] | itus | pruritus | |||||
| psor | iasis | psoriasis | |||||
| Pus is taken directly from the Latin, and is related through PIE pu- "to rot, decay" to Sanskrit puyati, Greek puon, and Lithuanian pūvu. It's thought to be an imitation of the sound you make when you encounter pus. | |||||||
| pustule | |||||||
| Literally, "skin with pus, filled with gangrene"; gangrene comes from the Latin gangraena, from Medical Greek gangraina, "an sore that eats away [tissue]." | py/o | derma | gangren[e] | osum | pyoderma gangrenosum | ||
| rhino | cer | osis | rhinoceros | ||||
| rhyti[d] | derm | ia | rhytidermia | ||||
| rhytid/o | plasty | rhytidoplasty | |||||
| scale | scale | ||||||
| scler/o | dermat | itis | sclerodermatitis | ||||
| scler | onych | iasis | scleronychia | ||||
| sebace | ous | sebaceous | |||||
| sebo | lith | sebolith | |||||
| sebo | poiesis | sebopoiesis | |||||
| sebo | rrhea | seborrhea | |||||
| sebo | rrhe[a] | ic | seborrheic | ||||
| sebum | sebum | ||||||
| sens | ory | sensory | |||||
| squam | ous | squamous | |||||
| steat[o] | itis | steatitis | |||||
| steat[o] | oma | steatoma | |||||
| sub | cutan/e | ous | subcutaneous | ||||
| Latin unguis, "nail, claw, hoof" | sub | ungu | al | subungual | |||
| tel | angi[o] | ectasia | telangiectasia | ||||
| tel/o | gen | telogen | |||||
| thermo | regulat[e] | ion | thermoregulation | ||||
| tinea | tinea | ||||||
| topic | al | topical | |||||
| trans | derm | al | transdermal | ||||
| Greek trikeratos "three-horned" | tri | cerat | ops | triceratops | |||
| trich/o | megaly | trichomegaly | |||||
| trich/o | myc | osis | trichomycosis | ||||
| tumor | tumor | ||||||
| Latin ulcerare, "to make sore" | ulcer | ulcer | |||||
| Latin unguentum, "ointment" | unguent | unguent | |||||
| urtica | r + ia | urticaria | |||||
| vascul[um] | ar | vascular | |||||
| verruca | verruca | ||||||
| ves | icle | vesicle | |||||
| vitiligo | vitiligo | ||||||
| vulgaris | vulgaris | ||||||
| xanth/o | derma | xanthoderma | |||||
| xanth[o] | oma | xanthoma | |||||
| xanth | osis | xanthosis | |||||
| Graft from another species ("stranger-graft") | xeno | graft | xenograft | ||||
| xer/o | derma | xeroderma | |||||
| xer[o] | osis | xerosis |
