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What does -ium mean in medical terms?
-ium
Meaning: structure; tissue; element
Type: Suffix
A suffix goes at the very end of a word, after the root. On this page: what -ium means, and real medical words that use it, each broken down into its parts.
Example words using -ium
pericardium
peri (around) + cardi (heart) + -ium (structure) = structure around the heart
peri (around) + cardi (heart) + -ium (structure) = structure around the heart
epithelium
epi (upon) + theli (nipple/tissue) + -ium (tissue) = covering tissue
epi (upon) + theli (nipple/tissue) + -ium (tissue) = covering tissue
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.