Prefixes

a-  (absence of, meaning)

bi-  (two or both)

dia- (through, complete)

dys- (difficult, painful, abnormal, labored)

epi- (upon, on, over)

hyper- (above, excessive)

hypo- (deficient, below, under, incomplete)

intra- (within, in)

meta- (change, beyond, after)

neo- (new)

para- (beside, around, beyond, abnormal)

per- (through)

pro- (before)

sub- (under, below)

trans- (through, across, beyond)

uni- (one)

Combining Forms

aden/o (gland)

adip/o (fat)

albin/o (white)

aut/o (self)

bi/o (life)

coni/o (dust)

cry/o (cold)

crypt/o (hidden)

cutane/o (skin)

cyan/o (blue)

derm/o (skin)

dermat/o (skin)

erythr/o (red)

erythemat/o (redness)

fibr/o (fibrous tissues)

heter/o (other)

hidr/o (sweat)

kerat/o (hard, horny tissue, keratin)

lei/o (smooth)

leuk/o (white)

lip/o, lipid/o (fat)

melan/o (black)

myc/o (fungus)

necr/o (death)

onych/o (nail)

pachy/o (thick)

pil/o (hair)

py/o (pus)

rhytid/o (wrinkles)

sclera/o (hardening)

seb/o (sebum)

staphyl/o (grapelike clusters)

steat/o (fat, sebum)

strept/o (twisted chains)

ungu/o (nail)

xanth/o (yellow)

xer/o (dryness, dry)

Suffixes

-a (no meaning, noun ending)

-al (pertaining to)

-ad (toward)

-coccus (berry-shaped)

-cyte (cell)

-ectomy (excision)

-gen (substance that produces/causes, agent that produces/causes)

-genic (producing, originating, causing)

-ia (condition of, diseased state, abnormal state)

-ic (pertaining to)

-itis (inflammation)

-ior (pertaining to)

-logy (study of)

-logist (specialist who studies and treats)

-malacia (softening)

-megaly (enlarged, enlargement)

-oid (resembling)

-oma (tumor, swelling)

-opsy (view of, process of viewing, viewing)

-orrhea (flow, excessive discharge)

-osis (abnormal condition, increased numbers relating to blood)

-ous (pertaining to)

-pathy (disease)

-phagia (eating, swallowing)

-plasia (development, growth, condition of formation)

-plasm (growth, substance, formation)

-plasty (surgical repair)

-rrhea (flow, discharge)

-sis (state of)

-stasis (stop, controlling, standing)

-tome (instrument used to cut)

Apply the rules of medical language to pronounce, break into word parts, and define the following integumentary system words.

Label each word part by using the following abbreviations:

P = Prefix
WR = Word Root
CV = Combining Vowel
S = Suffix
CF = Combining Form

Example: osteoarthropathy (ä-stē-ō-är-THROP-ă-thē) – disease of bone and joint

WR     CV    WR     CV     S

oste / o / arthr / o /pathy

     CF               CF

biopsy (bx) (BĪ-op-sē)

dermatitis (dĕr-mă-TĪT-ĭs)

dermatoautoplasty (dĕr-mă-tō-AW-tō-plăs-tē)

dermatoconiosis (dĕr-mă-tō-kō-nē-Ō-sĭs)

dermatofibroma (dĕr-mă-tō-fī-BRŌ-mă)

dermatoheteroplasty (dĕr-mă-tō-HĔT-ĕr-ō-plăs-tē)

dermatologist (dĕr-mă-TŎL-ō-jĭst)

dermatology (derm) (dĕr-mă-TŎL-ō-jē)

dermatome (DĔR-mă-tōm)

dermatoplasty (DĔR-măt-ō-plas-tē)

epidermal (ĕp-ĭ-DĔR-mal)

erythroderma (ĕ-rith-rŏ-DĔR-mă)

hidradenitis (hi-dra-ĕn-ĪT-ĭs)

hypodermic (hī-pō-DĔR-mĭk)

intradermal (ID) (in-tră-DĔR-măl)

keratogenic (kĕr-ă-TŎJ-ĕ-nŭk)

keratosis (ker-ă-TŌ-sĭs)

leiodermia (lī-ō-DĔR-mē-ă)

leukoderma (loo-kŏ-DĔR-mă)

necrosis (nĕ-KRŌ-sĭs)

onychocryptosis (ŏn-ĭ-kō-krip-TŌ-sis)

onychomalacia (ŏn-ĭ-kō-mă-LĀ-shă)

onychomycosis (on-i-kō-mī-KŌ-sĭs)

onychophagia (ŏn-ĭ-KŎF-ă-jē)

pachyderma (pak-ē-DĔR-mă)

paronychia (păr-ō-NĬK-ē-ă)

percutaneous (pĕr-kū-TĀ-nē-ŭs)

rhytidectomy (rit-ĭ-DEK-tŏ-mē)

rhytidoplasty (RĬT-ĭ-dō-plăs-tē)

seborrhea (sĕb-or-Ē-ă)

staphylococcus (staph) (staf-ĭ-lō-KOK-ŭs)

streptococcus (strep) (strep-tŏ-KOK-ŭs)

subcutaneous (subcut, Sub-Q) (sŭb-kū-TĀ-nē-ŭs)

subungual (sŭb-ŬNG-gwăl)

transdermal (TD) (trănz-DĔRM-ăl)

ungual (ŬNG-gwăl)

xeroderma (zer-ŏ-DĔR-mă)

xerosis (zĕ-RŌ-sĭs)

Practice pronouncing and defining these commonly abbreviated integumentary system terms.

BCC (basal cell carcinoma)

bx (biopsy)

CA-MRSA (community-associated MRSA)

derm (dermatology)

HA-MRSA (healthcare-associated MRSA)

I&D (incision and drainage)

ID (intradermal)

MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)

SCC (squamous cell carcinoma)

staph (staphylococcus)

strep (streptococcus)

subcut, Sub-Q (subcutaneous)

TD (transdermal)

Practice filling in the blanks with the correct word parts.

Remember combining form vowels are indicated with a line on each side.

al | ectomy | trans | derm | rhytid | cutane | ous | ous | logist | auto | xero | o | phagia | derma | derma | o | sis | dermat | hidr | o | tone | o | aden | kerat | necr | cutane | onycho | plasty | per | genic | dermat | itis | sub

________/________/________/________ refers to the surgical repair of one’s own skin.

Something that generates the production of epidermal tissues might be called ________/________/________.

________/________/________  refers to something in a state of death.

________/________ is a technical name for nail-biting.

________/________/________ means pertaining to through the skin.

________/________/________ injection is given under the skin.

During the winter months many people complain of ________/________ and use extra lotion.

A patch filled with medication,applied to the skin so that medication goes through the skin is referred to as a ________/________/________ patch.

An instrument used to cut the skin for biopsy is referred to as a ________/________.

A specialist who studies and treats disorders and diseases of the skin is referred to as a ________/________/________.

The medical term that means a sweat gland is inflamed is ________/________/________.

The medical term to excise wrinkles or commonly referred to as a facelift is ________/________.

Chapter Attributions

This chapter was adapted by Jerry Casteel from “Integumentary System” in Medical Terminology Student Companion by Stacey Grimm; Colleen Allee; Heidi Belitz; Traci Gotz; Micheal Randolph; Elaine Strachota; and Laurie Zielinski. Licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.