What does lact mean in medical terms?
lact
Meaning: milk
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 lact means, and real medical words that use it, each broken down into its parts.
Example words using lact
lactation
lact (milk) + -ation (process) = the production and secretion of milk
lact (milk) + -ation (process) = the production and secretion of milk
lactose
lact (milk) + -ose (sugar) = the sugar found in milk
lact (milk) + -ose (sugar) = the sugar found in milk
lactic
lact (milk) + -ic (pertaining to) = pertaining to milk; lactic acid is the acid formed from milk sugar
lact (milk) + -ic (pertaining to) = pertaining to milk; lactic acid is the acid formed from milk sugar
More Whole Body & General Terms roots
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.