What does -osis mean in medical terms?

-osis

Meaning: abnormal condition; increase

Type: Suffix

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

Example words using -osis

fibrosis
fibr (fiber) + -osis (abnormal condition) = abnormal formation of fibrous tissue
thrombosis
thromb (clot) + -osis (condition) = condition of a blood clot in a vessel

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.