What does hem mean in medical terms?
hem
Meaning: blood
Type: Word root · Body system: Blood & Immune System
A word root is the core of a word; prefixes and suffixes attach around it. On this page: what hem means, and real medical words that use it, each broken down into its parts.
Example words using hem
hemorrhage
hem (blood) + -rrhage (bursting forth) = bursting forth of blood
hem (blood) + -rrhage (bursting forth) = bursting forth of blood
hemolysis
hem (blood) + -lysis (breakdown) = breakdown of blood cells
hem (blood) + -lysis (breakdown) = breakdown of blood cells
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.