Whole Body & General Terms — Word Roots

Word roots used across the whole body — skin, cells, disease, life, structure and the science of medicine itself. These are the roots that appear in every specialty.

This page lists all 92 of them. Open any root for example words that use it.

Word part	Type	Meaning
abdomin	Word root	abdomen
adip	Word root	fat
anatom	Word root	structure of the body, dissection
audi	Word root	hearing, sound
bacter	Word root	bacteria
blephar	Word root	eyelid
carcin	Word root	cancer, crab
cephal	Word root	head
cervic	Word root	neck; cervix of the uterus
chem	Word root	chemical
cochle	Word root	cochlea of the inner ear
colp	Word root	vagina
corne	Word root	cornea of the eye
cry	Word root	cold
cutane	Word root	skin
cyt	Word root	cell
dacry	Word root	tear, tear duct
derm	Word root	skin
dermat	Word root	skin
dist	Word root	far, distant from a point
dors	Word root	back
electr	Word root	electricity
eti	Word root	cause, origin
febr	Word root	fever
gen	Word root	birth, origin, production
gust	Word root	taste
gynec	Word root	woman, female
hidr	Word root	sweat
hist	Word root	tissue
hydr	Word root	water, fluid
hyster	Word root	uterus, womb
iatr	Word root	physician, medical treatment
inguin	Word root	groin
irid	Word root	iris of the eye
kerat	Word root	horny tissue, keratin; cornea
lacrim	Word root	tears, tear duct
lact	Word root	milk
later	Word root	side
mamm	Word root	breast
mast	Word root	breast
medi	Word root	middle
men	Word root	month, menstruation
metr	Word root	uterus; also measure in other contexts
mort	Word root	death
muc	Word root	mucus
myc	Word root	fungus
nec	Word root	death, dead tissue
nos	Word root	disease
ocul	Word root	eye
onc	Word root	tumor; mass
oophor	Word root	ovary
ophthalm	Word root	eye
opt	Word root	vision, eye
ossicul	Word root	small bone, ear ossicle
ot	Word root	ear
parasit	Word root	parasite
parturit	Word root	childbirth, labor, giving birth
path	Word root	disease
pelv	Word root	pelvis
perine	Word root	perineum, region between anus and genitalia
pharmac	Word root	drug, medicine
phon	Word root	sound, voice
phot	Word root	light
physi	Word root	nature, physical function
pil	Word root	hair
plas	Word root	formation, growth, development
profund	Word root	deep
proxim	Word root	near, nearest to a point
py	Word root	pus
pyret	Word root	fever
radi	Word root	ray, radiation; radius bone in some words
retin	Word root	retina of the eye
salping	Word root	fallopian tube, uterine tube
scler	Word root	hard, hardening
seb	Word root	sebum, oily secretion, grease
septic	Word root	infection, putrefaction
ser	Word root	serum, watery fluid
somat	Word root	body
superfic	Word root	surface
therapeut	Word root	treatment, therapy
therm	Word root	heat
tox	Word root	poison
trachel	Word root	neck, cervix
troph	Word root	nourishment, growth
tympan	Word root	eardrum, tympanic membrane
ungu	Word root	nail
vagin	Word root	vagina
ventr	Word root	belly, front side
vir	Word root	virus, poison
viscer	Word root	internal organs
vulv	Word root	vulva, external female genitalia
zo	Word root	animal, life

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.

Whole Body & General Terms — Word Roots

Medical Videos

Explore

Calculators

Company