What does -ptosis mean in medical terms?

-ptosis

Meaning: drooping; falling; prolapse

Type: Suffix

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

Example words using -ptosis

blepharoptosis
blepharo (eyelid) + -ptosis (drooping) = drooping of the eyelid
nephroptosis
nephro (kidney) + -ptosis (drooping/falling) = downward displacement of the kidney

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.