Medical Terminology / Unit 3 MedTerm 0131 short lesson, about 20 seconds
What a Prefix Does to a Term
Captions available
The idea
A prefix modifies a medical term by position, direction, number, time, speed, or negation, without changing what kind of term it is.
In practice
Carditis is inflammation of the heart; pericarditis places that inflammation around the heart.
Where people slip
Most medical terms carry no prefix. Its absence is not a missing piece.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Unlocks
- 0132peri-: Around
- 0134inter-: Between
- 0138epi-: Upon or Above
- 0139sub-: Below
- 0141retro-: Backward or Behind
- 0142ante-: Before
- 0146hyper-: Excessive
- 0148macro-: Large
- 0150poly-: Many
- 0152hemi- and semi-: Half
- 0156tachy-: Fast
- 0158a- and an-: Without
- 0162neo-: New
- 0163pan-: All
- 0164auto-: Self
- 0167dia-: Through or Complete
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for Medical Terminology