Word-solving strategies · Topic 14 of 14
Roots & Suffixes
Body-Part Roots
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Body-Part Roots
A body-part root names the organ: cardi/o heart, hem/o blood, gastr/o stomach, hepat/o liver, nephr/o kidney.
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Two roots, one organ
Commonly confused| Root 1 | Root 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Kidney | nephr/o (nephritis) | ren/o (renal) |
| Lung | pneum/o (pneumonia) | pulmon/o (pulmonary) |
| Skin | derm/o (dermal) | dermat/o (dermatology) |
| Blood | hem/o (hemoglobin) | hemat/o (hematology) |
Find the root and you find the organ: hepat/itis is an inflamed liver, nephr/itis an inflamed kidney.
Sources · MedlinePlus (NLM) — Appendix A: Word Parts and What They Mean · LibreTexts, The Language of Medical Terminology — 1.3 Combining Forms · LibreTexts, The Language of Medical Terminology (Sturdy & Erickson) — 1.1 Basic Word Structure · LibreTexts, The Language of Medical Terminology — 1.2 Medical Language Rules · Collins English Dictionary — oro- (combining form) · Union Test Prep — HESI Vocabulary study guide, p. 3 (medical prefixes and suffixes) · Union Test Prep — HESI Vocabulary study guide, p. 1 (general prefixes, suffixes, roots) · Built from the verified NurseSavvy HESI A2 fact map (facts reviewed 2026-10-16). HESI is a trademark of Elsevier; NurseSavvy is not affiliated with Elsevier.
Other Common Roots
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Other Common Roots
Roots for disease, color and substances: path/o disease, carcin/o cancer, erythr/o red, leuk/o white, glyc/o sugar.
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Erythr/o or leuk/o?
Commonly confused| erythr/o | leuk/o | |
|---|---|---|
| Color | Red | White |
| Blood cell | erythrocyte (red blood cell) | leukocyte (white blood cell) |
| Another word | erythema (redness) | leukemia |
Color roots name blood cells: erythr/o/cyte is red, leuk/o/cyte is white.
Sources · MedlinePlus (NLM) — Appendix A: Word Parts and What They Mean · LibreTexts, The Language of Medical Terminology — 1.3 Combining Forms · LibreTexts, The Language of Medical Terminology — 1.2 Medical Language Rules · LibreTexts, The Language of Medical Terminology (Sturdy & Erickson) — 1.1 Basic Word Structure · LibreTexts, The Language of Medical Terminology — 3.4 Additional Prefixes · LibreTexts, The Language of Medical Terminology — 2.1 Suffixes for Symptoms · LibreTexts, The Language of Medical Terminology — 2.3 Additional Suffixes · Collins English Dictionary — toxico- (combining form) · Collins English Dictionary — audio / audio- (combining form) · LibreTexts, The Language of Medical Terminology — 2.2 Suffixes for Treatment Procedures · Collins English Dictionary — spiro- (combining form) · Collins English Dictionary — pyro- (combining form) · Union Test Prep — HESI Vocabulary study guide, p. 3 (medical prefixes and suffixes) · Union Test Prep — HESI Reading Comprehension study guide, p. 2 (context clues, word analysis) · Built from the verified NurseSavvy HESI A2 fact map (facts reviewed 2026-10-16). HESI is a trademark of Elsevier; NurseSavvy is not affiliated with Elsevier.
Suffixes
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Suffixes
A suffix at the end names the condition or procedure: -itis inflammation, -algia pain, -ectomy removal, -otomy cutting into, -ostomy opening.
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The rules
-ectomy or -otomy?
Commonly confused| -ectomy | -otomy | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Cut out, remove | Cut into |
| Is the part removed? | Yes, it is taken out | No, it is only cut into |
| Example | tonsillectomy | craniotomy |
| Another example | appendectomy | tracheotomy |
Remove, cut, open: -ectomy takes it out, -otomy cuts into it, -ostomy makes an opening.
Sources · MedlinePlus (NLM) — Appendix A: Word Parts and What They Mean · LibreTexts, The Language of Medical Terminology — 2.1 Suffixes for Symptoms · LibreTexts, The Language of Medical Terminology — 2.2 Suffixes for Treatment Procedures · LibreTexts, The Language of Medical Terminology — 1.4 Suffixes · LibreTexts, The Language of Medical Terminology (Sturdy & Erickson) — 1.1 Basic Word Structure · LibreTexts, The Language of Medical Terminology — 2.3 Additional Suffixes · Cambridge Dictionary — less (incl. the suffix -less) · Union Test Prep — HESI Vocabulary study guide, p. 3 (medical prefixes and suffixes) · Union Test Prep — HESI Vocabulary study guide, p. 1 (general prefixes, suffixes, roots) · Union Test Prep — HESI Reading Comprehension study guide, p. 2 (context clues, word analysis) · Built from the verified NurseSavvy HESI A2 fact map (facts reviewed 2026-10-16). HESI is a trademark of Elsevier; NurseSavvy is not affiliated with Elsevier.
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