What does nec mean in medical terms?

nec

Meaning: death, dead tissue

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 nec means, and real medical words that use it, each broken down into its parts.

Example words using nec

necrosis
nec (death) + -osis (condition) = condition of tissue death
necrotic
nec (death) + -tic (pertaining to) = pertaining to dead tissue
necrobiosis
nec (death) + bi (life) + -osis (condition) = degeneration and death of cells within living tissue

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.