Medical Terminology Exam Help — Prefixes, Suffixes & Root Words

Medical terminology is the language of healthcare. Mastering prefixes, suffixes, and root words allows nurses to decode any medical term, understand documentation, and communicate clearly with the healthcare team. NurseQuizPrep provides comprehensive medical terminology exam prep.

Prefixes & Suffixes

Common medical prefixes (brady-, tachy-, hyper-, hypo-, poly-, oligo-, dys-, a-/an-) and suffixes (-emia, -itis, -osis, -ectomy, -otomy, -plasty, -scopy, -graphy, -pathy, -rrhea).

• Brady- = slow (bradycardia); Tachy- = fast (tachycardia)
• Hyper- = above normal; Hypo- = below normal
• A-/An- = without (apnea, anemia); Dys- = difficult (dyspnea, dysphagia)

Body System Root Words

Root words organized by body system: cardiovascular (cardio, angio, veno, arterio), respiratory (pneumo, pulmo, broncho, rhino), gastrointestinal (gastro, hepato, cholecysto, entero), musculoskeletal (osteo, arthro, myo, tendon), neurological (neuro, encephalo, myelo, cerebro).

• Hepato = liver (hepatitis = liver inflammation; hepatomegaly = enlarged liver)
• Nephro/reno = kidney (nephritis, nephrectomy, renal)
• Cardio = heart (cardiomegaly, carditis, myocardium)

HESI A2 Medical Terminology

The HESI A2 includes a dedicated medical terminology subtest. Our specialists provide the complete list of terms most frequently tested on HESI A2 exams.

• Top HESI A2 terminology categories: body directions, planes, cavities
• Directional terms: anterior/posterior, medial/lateral, proximal/distal, superior/inferior
• Medical abbreviations: PRN, QID, TID, BID, STAT, NPO, PO