What does lith mean in medical terms?

lith

Meaning: stone; calculus

Type: Word root · Body system: Kidneys & Urinary System

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

Example words using lith

lithotripsy
lith (stone) + -tripsy (crushing) = crushing of a stone
nephrolithiasis
nephr (kidney) + lith (stone) + -iasis (condition) = condition of kidney stones

More Kidneys & Urinary System 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.