What does -cele mean in medical terms?

-cele

Meaning: hernia; swelling

Type: Suffix

A suffix goes at the very end of a word, after the root. On this page: what -cele means, and real medical words that use it, each broken down into its parts.

Example words using -cele

hydrocele
hydro (water/fluid) + -cele (swelling) = fluid-filled swelling
meningocele
meningo (membranes) + -cele (hernia) = hernia of the spinal membranes

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.