What does paleo- mean in medical terms?

paleo-

Meaning: old, ancient

Type: Prefix

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

Example words using paleo-

paleopathology
paleo- (ancient) + patho (disease) + logy (study) = the study of disease in ancient remains
paleocortex
paleo- (old) + cortex (outer layer) = the evolutionarily older part of the outer layer of the brain

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.