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How the Unit 5 Word List Was Built

Etymology Prefix "Pre-Root" Root Root "Post-Root" Suffix1
Word End		 Suffix2
Word End		 Word
Latin abducere, ab–, "off, away from" + ducere, "to lead" ab duct ion abduction
In Greek and Roman dining, an acetabulum was a shallow cup filled with vinegar. Vinegar (Latin vinum acētum; French vinaigre) literally means "sour wine" and the vinegar you buy in the supermarket is 5% acetic acid (acētum). The suffix –bulum is one we'll see again; in Unit 7, we'll meet the infundibulum, a funnel-shaped organ. acēt[um]/a bulum acetabulum
a chondro plasia achondroplasia
a dactyl y adactyly
ad duct ion adduction
agon ist agonist
amphi arthr/o t + ic amphiarthrotic
an alges[ia] ic analgesic
"stiff lizard" ankylo[s] saurus ankylosaurus
Greek ankylos, "stiff" or "crooked" ankylos ing ankylosing
ankyl[os] osis ankylosis
ant[i] agon ist antagonist
anti arthri t + ic antiarthritic
anti– inflammat[ion] ory anti-inflammatory
anti pyre t + ic antipyretic
Greek apo–, "from, off, away" + phúsis (physis), "growth" apo physis apophysis
append[ix] icul[e] ar appendicular
arthr algia arthralgia
arthr[o] ectomy arthrectomy
arthro centesis arthrocentesis
arthro scope arthroscope
arthro desis arthrodesis
arthro dynia arthrodynia
dys arthro plasia arthrodysplasia
arthro gram arthrogram
arthro graphy arthrography
arthro pathy arthropathy
arthro plasty arthroplasty
arthro scop ic arthroscopic
arthro tomy arthrotomy
articul[us] ar articular
a tax ia ataxia
a troph y atrophy
Latin axis, "axle; line that the earth rotates around" axi al axial
brady kines ia bradykinesia
bursa bursa
burs ectomy bursectomy
burs itis bursitis
burso tomy bursotomy
calci ton[ic] in calcitonin
calci tri ol calcitriol
carp[us] al carpal
carp ectomy carpectomy
carp itis carpitis
cervi[x] c + al cervical
cervic itis cervicitis
cervico dynia cervicodynia
chondr itis chondritis
chondro dynia chondrodynia
chondr[o] oma chondroma
chondro malacia chondromalacia
chrondro plasty chondroplasty
circum duct ion circumduction
condyle condyle
cost al costal
cost algia costalgia
cost ectomy costectomy
costo chondr itis costochondritis
crani[o] ectomy craniectomy
cranio malacia craniomalacia
cranio meter craniometer
syn cranio ost[eo] osis craniosynostosis
cranio tomy craniotomy
Latin crepitus, "rattle" crepit[us] ation crepitation
dactyl algia dactylalgia
dactyl itis dactylitis
dia physis diaphysis
di arthro t + ic diarthrotic
dys kinesia dyskinesia
Latin, dys–, "abnormal, bad" + –plas–, "formation, development" + –ia dys plas ia dysplasia
dys taxia dystaxia
dys ton ia dystonia
ec cent[e]r ic eccentric
Latin ef– (corrupted ex–), "out of" + fundere, "to pour" ex → ef fusion effusion
electro my/o gram electromyogram
electro myo graphy electromyography
endo chrondr[o] al endochondral
endo my[o] sium endomysium
epi my[o] sium epimysium
Greek epi–, "on top of" + phúsis (physis), "growth" epi physis epiphysis
epi condyle epicondyle
ex os/t osis exostosis
Latin extensio, "extension" exten[d] sion extension
facet facet
Ultimately, the political term "fascist" and the anatomical term "fascia" come from the same Latin word for a bundle of sticks with an axe attached fascia fascia
fasci[a] ectomy fasciectomy
fasci itis fasciitis
fascio rrhaphy fasciorrhaphy
fascio tomy fasciotomy
fascio plasty fascioplasty
Latin femur, "thigh" femor al femoral
fissure fissure
fix[ate] ation fixation
flex ion flexion
Latin foramen, "hole" foramen foramen
Latin fosse, "ditch" fossa fossa
Latin fractura, "break" fracture fracture
Proto-Indo-European (PIE) genu, "knee". PIE is the primordial language from which all Western languages originated genu genu
Greek gléne, "socket" glen[e] oid glenoid
gomph osis gomphosis
grapho spasm graphospasm
Latin allex, "big toe", with an h added along the way hallux hallux
hem[o] arthr[o] osis hemarthrosis
hemato poiesis hematopoiesis
hydr arthr osis hydrarthrosis
hyper calc emia hypercalcemia
hyper exten[d] sion hyperextension
hyper kines ia hyperkinesia
hyper ton ia hypertonia
hyper troph y hypertrophy
hypo calc emia hypocalcemia
hypo kines ia hypokinesia
hypo phys[is] eal hypophyseal
pituitary gland, named because it lies underneath the brain ("physis cerebri") hypo physis hypophysis
hypo ton ia hypotonia
infra spina t + us infraspinatus
inter cost al intercostal
inter osse ous interosseous
intra membran[e] ous intramembranous
iso metric isometric
kinesio logy kinesiology
kinet ic kinetic
Greek kyphos, "crooked" kyphosis kyphosis
lacrim[a] al lacrimal
Latin lamina, "thin metal plate" + –ella (dim. suffix) lam[ina] ella lamella
ligament ligament
Greek lordos, "bent backward"; also indicates a sexually receptive posture in four-legged females lordosis lordosis
lumb ar lumbar
lumbo dynia lumbodynia
Latin meātus, "passage" meatus meatus
medull[a] ary medullary
meta carp al metacarpal
meta carp[o] ectomy metacarpectomy
meta physis metaphysis
meta tars algia metatarsalgia
meta tars[us] al metatarsals
musculo skelet al musculoskeletal
my algia myalgia
Greek asthenes, "weakness" my asthenia myasthenia
my ectomy myectomy
myo clonus myoclonus
myo dynia myodynia
myo fasci[a] itis myofasciitis
myo graphy myography
myo lysis myolysis
my[o] oma myoma
myo malacia myomalacia
my om[a] ectomy myomectomy
myo plasty myoplasty
myo rrhaphy myorrhaphy
myo sarc[o] oma myosarcoma
myo scler[o] osis myosclerosis
myos itis myositis
myo spasm myospasm
myo tomy myotomy
neuro muscul ar neuromuscular
occipit[o] al occipital
ortho t + ic orthotic
os + s ification ossification
ost algia ostalgia
ost[e] ectomy oste(e)ctomy
oste[o] itis osteitis
osteo arthr itis osteoarthritis
osteo blast osteoblast
osteo carcin oma osteocarcinoma
osteo chondr[o] itis osteochondritis
osteo chondr[o] oma osteochondroma
osteo clas[t] ia osteoclasia
osteo clast osteoclast
osteo dynia osteodynia
osteo genesis osteogenesis
osteo lysis osteolysis
osteo malacia osteomalacia
osteo myel itis osteomyelitis
oste on osteon
osteo pathy osteopathy
osteo penia osteopenia
osteo plasty osteoplasty
osteo por[e] osis osteoporosis
osteo necr[o] osis osteonecrosis
osteo sarc[o] oma osteosarcoma
osteo scler[o] osis osteosclerosis
pector[is] al pectoral
pelvis pelvis
peri my[o] sium perimysium
peri oste[o] um periosteum
The Greek word phalanx (plural phalanges) describes a military formation with men closely packed together, like fingers and toes phalanges phalanges
pollex pollex
poly dactyl y polydactyly
poly myos itis polymyositis
pron[e] ation pronation
Greek rhabdo–, "rod" + myo + lysis. "Rod" in this context means striated muscle (i.e. skeletal muscle or voluntary muscle). rhabdo myo lysis rhabdomyolysis
Greek sárx–, "flesh" + –lemma, "husk, rind" sarco lemma sarcolemma
sarco mere sarcomere
sarco plasm sarcoplasm
Greek skolios, "bent" scoliosis scoliosis
Latin sphincter, "contractile muscle" sphincter sphincter
spine spine
spondyl itis spondylitis
spondylo arthro pathy spondyloarthropathy
spondylo dynia spondylodynia
Greek spondylos, "vertebrae" + olisthánein, "slippage" spondyl olisthes is spondylolisthesis
spondylo lysis spondylolysis
spondylo malacia spondylomalacia
spondyl osis spondylosis
sprain sprain
sten osis stenosis
sterno tomy sternotomy
sternum sternum
strain strain
Latin luxationem, "a dislocation" sub luxation subluxation
sulcus sulcus
supinat ion supination
syn arthro t + ic synarthrotic
syn cyt ium syncytium
syn dactyl y syndactyly
syn erg[on] ist synergist
Talipes is formed from Latin tal[us], "ankle" + pes, "foot", in other words, "walking on the ankle". Equin[e], "horse" (walking on the toes like a horse) + varus, the direction the foot is turned in talipes equino varus talipes equinovarus
tars[us] al tarsal
tars[us] algia tarsalgia
tars[us] ectomy tarsectomy
tars[us] itis tarsitis
tarso clasia tarsoclasia
tarso ptosis tarsoptosis
ten algia tenalgia
tend ectomy tendectomy
tendin itis tendinitis
teno desis tendodesis
tendo lysis tendolysis
tendon tendon
tendon itis tendonitis
tendo plasty tendoplasty
teno dynia tenodynia
teno lysis tenolysis
teno plasty tenoplasty
teno rrhaphy tenorrhaphy
teno tomy tenotomy
thorac ic thoracic
tibia tibia
tibi[a] algia tibialgia
tomo graphy tomography
tono graph tonograph
literally, "twisted neck", from the same Latin roots as torque + collar torti collis torticollis
trochanter trochanter
Latin trochlea, "pulley" trochlea trochlea
tuber cle tubercle
tuber osity tuberosity
knees closer together than normal valgum
valgus		 valgum
valgus
knees farther apart than normal varum
varus		 varum
varus
vertebra vertebra
Pertaining to the zygoma, from Greek zygon, "yoke". Named because it joins, or yokes, the bones of the face to the bones of the skull. zygom[a] atic zygomatic

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