What does -scopy mean in medical terms?

-scopy

Meaning: visual examination

Type: Suffix

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

Example words using -scopy

endoscopy
endo (within) + -scopy (visual examination) = visual examination inside the body
colonoscopy
colono (colon) + -scopy (visual examination) = visual examination of the colon

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.