This graphic shows common medical terms broken down with prefixes and postfixes. Understanding medical terminology that is unfamiliar to you may be daunting, but this chart explains the root words that doctors use.

Here are some of the common terms

Osteo – Pertains to the bone
Bio – Life
Carcin – Cancer
Cardi – Heart
Derm – Skin
Dys – Bad or difficult
Faci – Face
Gastro – Pertaining to the stomach
Hema – Blood
Hyper – Extreme or beyond normal
Lipo – Fat
Somat – Pertaining to the body

Below is a full infographic outlining these terms that make up regular medical descriptions.

Explanation of medical terminology

Explanation of medical terminology