What does encephal mean in medical terms?

encephal

Meaning: brain

Type: Word root · Body system: Brain, Nerves & Mind

A word root is the core of a word; prefixes and suffixes attach around it. On this page: what encephal means, and real medical words that use it, each broken down into its parts.

Example words using encephal

encephalitis
encephal (brain) + -itis (inflammation) = inflammation of the brain
electroencephalogram
electr (electricity) + encephal (brain) + -gram (record) = record of the electrical activity 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.