What does phon mean in medical terms?

phon

Meaning: sound, voice

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

Example words using phon

phonation
phon (sound) + -ation (process) = the production of vocal sound
dysphonia
dys- (abnormal) + phon (voice) + -ia (condition) = a condition of abnormal voice
aphonia
a- (without) + phon (voice) + -ia (condition) = absence of voice

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.