What does eso- mean in medical terms?

eso-

Meaning: inward, within

Type: Prefix

A prefix goes at the very start of a word, before the root. On this page: what eso- means, and real medical words that use it, each broken down into its parts.

Example words using eso-

esotropia
eso- (inward) + tropia (turning) = inward turning of the eye
esophoria
eso- (inward) + phoria (a tendency to deviate) = a tendency of the eyes to deviate inward

Shortened forms

Charts and notes shorten long terms — see the Medical Abbreviations guide for the short forms you will meet in real records.

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.