What does -graph mean in medical terms?

-graph

Meaning: instrument for recording

Type: Suffix

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

Example words using -graph

electrocardiograph
electro (electrical) + cardio (heart) + -graph (recording instrument) = instrument that records the heart's electrical activity
polygraph
poly (many) + -graph (recording instrument) = instrument recording several body measures at once

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.