What does gonad mean in medical terms?

gonad

Meaning: sex gland, ovary or testis

Type: Word root · Body system: Hormones & Glands

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

Example words using gonad

gonadal
gonad (sex gland) + -al (pertaining to) = pertaining to a gonad
gonadotropin
gonad (sex gland) + trop (turning toward) + -in (substance) = a hormone that acts on the gonads
hypogonadism
hypo- (deficient) + gonad (sex gland) + -ism (condition) = condition of reduced gonad function

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.