What does kerat mean in medical terms?

kerat

Meaning: horny tissue, keratin; cornea

Type: Word root · Body system: Whole Body & General Terms

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

Example words using kerat

keratin
kerat (horny tissue) + -in (substance) = the fibrous protein of skin, hair and nails
keratosis
kerat (horny tissue) + -osis (condition) = a condition of overgrowth of horny skin tissue
keratitis
kerat (cornea) + -itis (inflammation) = inflammation of the cornea

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.