GREEK AND LATIN SUFFIXES
1. SUBSTANTIVE SUFFIXES
A) LATIN
suffix meaning example
-io act of, result of,
process of
inflammat-io inflammation
-or agent flex-or a muscle the action of which is to flex a joint
-ura act or result of action flex-ura flexion, result of bending
-itas quality, state obes-itas obesity
-mentum instrument, tool liga-mentum ligament
-culus, a, um
-ulus, a, um
-olus, a, um
-illus, a, um
-ellus, a, um
diminutive canali-culus small canal
capit-ulum small head
alve-olus small cavity or pit
pupilla pupil (the dark circular aperture at the centre of the iris of
the eye)
cereb-ellum posterior brain mass
B) GREEK
suffix meaning example
-ia disease allerg-ia allergy
-iasis disease, pathological
state
psor-iasis a chronic skin disease characterized by circumscribed
red patches covered with white scales
-ismus 1. state
2. addiction
nan-ismus dwarfism (a genetic abnormality resulting in short
stature)
alcohol-ismus alcoholism
-itis inflammatory disease gastr-itis inflammation of the stomach
-osis 1. non-inflammatory
disease
2. degenerative
disease
nephr-osis a non-inflammatory disease of a kidney
arthr-osis a degenerative disease of a joint
-oma tumor carcin-oma a malignant tumor of epithelial origin
2. ADJECTIVE SUFFIXES
A) Latin
suffix meaning example
-alis, e relation vertebr-alis
-aris, e relation muscul-aris
-inus, a, um relation uter-inus
-eus, a, um relation cartilagin-eus
-osus, a, um full of ven-osus
-atus, a, um equipped with caud-atus
-bilis, e possibility mo-bilis
-ilis, e having the quality frag-ilis
B) Greek
suffix meaning example
-icus, a, um relation thorac-icus
-ideus, a, um similar to xipho-ideus
EXERCISE 1
Form adjectives from the given nouns:
1. cranium, ii, n.
1a. facies, ei, f.
2. vertebra, ae, f.
3.corpus, oris, n.
4. os (sacrum), ossis,
n.
5. coccyx, gis, f.
6. sternum, i, n.
7. costa, ae, f.
8. pelvis, is, f.
9.-16. manus, us, f.
9. clavicula, ae, f.
10. scapula, ae, f.
11. humerus, i, m.
12. radius, ii, m.
13. ulna, ae, f.
14. carpus, i, m.
15. metacarpus, i, m.
16. digitus, i, m.
17. pelvis, is, f.
18. cervix, icis, f.
19. femur, oris, n.
20. patella, ae, f.
21. tibia, ae, f.
22. fibula, ae. f.
23. phalanx, gis, f.
EXERCISE 2
Give the nouns which the following adjectives come from:
Note: The adjectives contain the suffix -icus, -a, -um, which is usually combined with nouns of Greek
origin.
gastricus, a, um thoracicus, a, um
diabeticus, a, um hepaticus, a, um
traumaticus, a, um caroticus, a, um
allergicus, a, um diphthericus, a, um
EXERCISE 3
Use the suffixes to derive adjectives with the meaning of words in brackets:
-osus: arteria > .................................... (arterious, arterial)
gangrena > .................................... (gangrenous)
nervus > .................................... (nervous)
ligamentum > .................................... (limagentous, ligamental)
-icus allergia > .................................... (allergic)
anatomia > .................................... (anatomic, anatomical)
diphtheria > .................................... (diphtherial)
haemorrhagia > .................................... (haemorrhagic)
lympha > .................................... (lymphatic)
ovarium > .................................... (ovarian)
-inus palatum > .................................... (palatal, palatine)
uterus > ................................ (uterine)
EXERCISE 4
Derive names of inflammatory diseases from the given nouns:
Example: gaster → genitive gastr-is → gastr-itis (gastritis, inflammatory disease of stomach)
bronchus hepar
meninx periosteum
larynx myocardium
colon pharynx
EXERCISE 5
Derive names of inflammatory diseases from the given nouns, and match them with the
adjectives in the correct form:
Example: duodenum + acutus, a, um → duodenitis acuta
appendix + gangraenosus, a, um
pharynx + chronicus, a, um
meninx + tuberculosus, a, um
myocardium + purulentus, a, um
colon + mucosus, a, um
pericardium + siccus, a, um
pancreas + acutus, a, um
EXERCISE 6
Fill in missing diminutives/nouns which the diminutives were derived from:
__________________ventriculus ___________________ septulum
tuber _____________________ os (bone) __________________
____________________cuticula ___________________ musculus
canalis____________________ vena _______________________
____________________ nodulus ____________________ auricula
dens ______________________ valva _______________________