Word Parts Beginning With C

40 word parts in the Medical Terminology guide begin with the letter C — prefixes, word roots and suffixes together. Every entry links to its own page with worked examples.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X Z

Word part	Type	Meaning
-capnia	Suffix	carbon dioxide in the blood
carcin	Word root	cancer, crab
cardi	Word root	heart
cata-	Prefix	down, downward
-cele	Suffix	hernia; swelling
-centesis	Suffix	surgical puncture to remove fluid
cephal	Word root	head
cerebr	Word root	cerebrum
cervic	Word root	neck; cervix of the uterus
cheil	Word root	lip
chem	Word root	chemical
chlor-	Prefix	green
chol	Word root	bile; gall
cholecyst	Word root	gallbladder
chondr	Word root	cartilage
-cide	Suffix	agent that kills
circum-	Prefix	around
-clasis	Suffix	surgical breaking
-clast	Suffix	cell that breaks down
co-	Prefix	with, together, joint
cochle	Word root	cochlea of the inner ear
col	Word root	colon
colp	Word root	vagina
contra-	Prefix	against, opposite
corne	Word root	cornea of the eye
coron	Word root	crown; blood vessels of the heart
cortic	Word root	cortex, outer layer; adrenal cortex
cost	Word root	rib
counter-	Prefix	against, opposite
crani	Word root	skull; cranium
crin	Word root	to secrete
-crine	Suffix	to secrete
cry	Word root	cold
cutane	Word root	skin
cyan-	Prefix	blue
-cyesis	Suffix	pregnancy
cyst	Word root	urinary bladder; sac
cyt	Word root	cell
-cyte	Suffix	cell
-cytosis	Suffix	increase in cells

Please note: This section teaches the language of medicine — what word parts mean and how terms are built. It is an educational reference, not medical advice. For the meaning of a word in your own medical record, ask the clinician who wrote it.

Word Parts Beginning With C

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