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Building Words
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Mono, Uni- | One, single. Ex. Monocular/Unilateral |
| Bi- | Two, double. Ex. Bilateral |
| Tri- | Three, triple. Ex. Tricuspid |
| Ab- | Away from. Ex. Abduction |
| Ecto-, Exo- | Outside, outward. Ex. Ectopic pregnancy |
| Endo- | Within, inside. Ex. Endoscopy |
| Epi- | Upon, above. Ex. Epidermis |
| Anterior or ventral | Toward the front of the body. Ex. Anterior chest pain |
| Posterior or dorsal | Toward the back of the body. Ex. Posterior spinal fusion |
| Superior | Above, toward the head. Ex. Superior Vena Cava |
| Inferior | Below, toward the feet, Ex, Inferior Vena Cava |
| Lateral | Toward the side, away from midline. Ex. Lateral malleolus |
| Distal | Farther from the point of attachment/origin. Ex. Distal phalanx |
| Proximal | Closer to the point of attachment/origin. Ex. Proximal femur |
| Ambi- | Both, on both sides. Ex. Ambidextrous |
| Dys- | Difficult, painful, abnormal. Ex. Dysuria |
| Eu- | Normal, good, easy. Ex. Eupnea |
| Homo- | Same. Ex. Homograft |
| Iso- | Equal, same. Ex. Isothermal |
| Mal- | Bad, poor, abnormal. Ex. Malnutrition |
| -algia | Pain. Ex. Neuralgia |
| -emia | Blood condition. Ex. Anemia |
| -itis | Inflammation. Ex. Arthritis |
| -lysis | Breakdown, destruction, separation. Ex. Hemolysis |
| -oid | Resembling. Ex. Lipoid |
| -ophaty | Disease condition. Ex. Cardiomyopathy |
| -pnea | Breathing. Ex. Tachypnea |
| -centesis | Surgical puncture to remove fluid. Ex. Thoracentesis |
| -ectomy | Surgical removal. Ex. Appendectomy |
| -ostomy | Surgical creation of a new opening. Ex. Colostomy |
| -otomy | Surgical incision, cutting into. Ex. Thracheotomy |
| -orrhaphy | Surgical repair by suturing. Ex. Herniorrhaphy |
| -opexy | Surgical fixation. Ex. Nephropexy |
| -oplasty | Surgical repair or reconstruction. Ex. Rhinoplasty |
| -otripsy | Surgical crushing. Ex. Lithotripsy |