Medical Suffixes and Their Meanings

Front

-algia

Back

pain (e.g., gastralgia - stomach pain)

Front

-asthenia

Back

weakness (e.g., myasthenia - muscle weakness)

Front

-cele

Back

protrusion (e.g., cystocele - protrusion of urinary bladder)

Front

-cytosis

Back

abnormal cell condition (too many) (e.g., erythrocytosis - too many red cells)

Front

-dynia

Back

pain (e.g., cardiodynia - heart pain)

Front

-ectasis

Back

dilated (e.g., bronchiectasis - dilated bronchi)

Front

-edema

Back

swelling (e.g., lymphedema - lymphatic swelling)

Front

-emesis

Back

vomiting (e.g., hematemesis - vomiting blood)

Front

-emetic

Back

pertaining to vomiting (e.g., antiemetic - pertaining to against vomiting)

Front

-emia

Back

blood condition (e.g., leukemia - white [cell] blood condition)