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
myco 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
pustule
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

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