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A prefix is a component of a word that precedes the root term and alters or influences the meaning of the root term. The root [port], from the Latin [portare], meaning "to carry" is found in the words export, support, and transport. The prefixes are [ex-], meaning "outside"; [sup-], meaning "above or on top"; and [trans-], meaning "across". |
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| The same is true for medical terms. The words suprahepatic, infrahepatic, and transhepatic, all contain the root term[-hepat-] from the Greek [hepar], meaning "liver". The prefixes are [supra-], meaning "superior or above"; [infra], meaning "inferior or below"; and [trans], meaning "through or across".
For information on how to read medical words, click here. The listing of medical prefixes is quite large and should be mastered by professionals in the medical industry. Medical Terminology is one of the core competencies of CAA, Inc. Image property of: CAA.Inc. |
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