Prefixes & Suffixes

The following list is by no means complete, but it may help in understanding some difficult terminology. The following abbreviations are used ; Gr., for the Greek ; L., for the Latin.
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Term Definition
mal-

(Gr., bad), malnutrition , bad nutrition.

lysis

(Gr., destroy), bacteriolysis , desçruction of bacteria.

luci-

(L., light), luciferin , light-producing material.

leuko-

(Gr., white), leukocyte , white blood cell. lip- (Gr., fatty), lipoid , fatty substance.

lepi-

(Gr., scale), Lepidoptera , order of insects with scale wings.

later-

(L., side), lateral , relating to the side.

lac-

(L., milk), lactose , milk sugar.

labi-

(L., lip), labium, lip.

iso

(Gr., equal), isothermic, having equal temperatures.

intra-

(L., inside), intracellular, within a cell.

inter-

(L., between), intercellular, between cells.

infra-

(L., below), infraorbital, below the orbit.

in-

(L., in, into, not, without), invaginate , to infold one part within another.

hypo-

(Gr., under), hypoglossal, situated under the tongue.

hyper-

(Gr., above), hypersensitive, especially sensitive.