What does tachy- mean in medical terms?

tachy-

Meaning: fast, swift

Type: Prefix · Often used with: Heart & Circulation

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

Example words using tachy-

tachycardia
tachy- (fast) + cardia (heart) = an abnormally fast heart rate
tachypnea
tachy- (fast) + pnea (breathing) = abnormally fast breathing
tachyphylaxis
tachy- (rapid) + phylaxis (protection) = a rapidly decreasing response to a repeated stimulus

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.