What does ventro- mean in medical terms?

ventro-

Meaning: belly side, front of the body

Type: Prefix

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

Example words using ventro-

ventrolateral
ventro- (front) + lateral (side) = relating to the front and the side
ventrodorsal
ventro- (front) + dorsal (back) = extending from the front to the back

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.