What does -emia mean in medical terms?

-emia

Meaning: blood condition

Type: Suffix · Often used with: Blood & Immune System

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

Example words using -emia

anemia
an- (without/lack) + -emia (blood condition) = blood condition with too few red blood cells
bacteremia
bacter (bacteria) + -emia (blood condition) = bacteria in the blood

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.