What does -ectopia mean in medical terms?

-ectopia

Meaning: displacement; out of place

Type: Suffix

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

Example words using -ectopia

ectopia
ec- (out) + top (place) + -ectopia (displacement) = displacement of an organ
renal ectopia
renal (kidney) + -ectopia (out of place) = a kidney located out of its normal place

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.