What does -rrhea mean in medical terms?

-rrhea

Meaning: flow; discharge

Type: Suffix

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

Example words using -rrhea

diarrhea
dia- (through) + -rrhea (flow) = frequent watery flow of stool
amenorrhea
a- (without) + meno (menstruation) + -rrhea (flow) = absence of menstrual flow

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.