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📚 English and Language Usage · Using Language and Vocabulary · Lesson 4 of 6 · 5 min

Suffixes: -itis, -ectomy, -ology, -algia and more

🔚 The end of a medical word usually tells you what is happening: inflamed, removed, painful, or being studied.

💡 Key idea

Read the suffix to learn what is happening (inflamed, removed, painful) or what part of speech the word is.

🧠 The idea

A SUFFIX is a word part attached to the END of a word. In medical terms the suffix often names the condition or procedure. Key medical suffixes: -ITIS (inflammation), -ECTOMY (surgical removal), -OLOGY (study of), -ALGIA (pain), -EMIA (blood condition), -OSIS (abnormal condition), -SCOPE (instrument for viewing), -OTOMY (cutting into) and -OSTOMY (creating an opening). Everyday suffixes also change a word's part of speech: -FUL (full of) and -LESS (without) make adjectives; -IZE (to make or become) makes verbs; -MENT and -TION (act, process or result) make nouns; -ABLE (capable of being) makes adjectives. So "hope" becomes hopeful, hopeless; "treat" becomes treatment, treatable. Do not confuse -ectomy (take it out) with -otomy (cut into it).

✏️ Worked example

What is gastritis? Split it: gastr (stomach) + -itis (inflammation) = inflammation of the stomach. Now try appendectomy: append (appendix) + -ectomy (surgical removal) = surgery to remove the appendix. And neuralgia: neur (nerve) + -algia (pain) = nerve pain. In each case the root tells you where and the suffix tells you what.

📌 Takeaways

  • -itis = inflammation; -ectomy = removal; -algia = pain.
  • -ology = study of; -scope = viewing instrument; -emia = blood condition.
  • -ful, -less, -able make adjectives; -ment, -tion make nouns; -ize makes verbs.

📖 Terms in this lesson

-able, -ible: Capable of being, used to form adjectives such as treatable (able to be treated).

-algia: Pain, as in myalgia (muscle pain).

-cyte: Cell, as in leukocyte (a white blood cell).

-ectomy: Surgical removal, as in appendectomy (removal of the appendix).

-emia: A condition of the blood, as in anemia (too few red blood cells or too little hemoglobin).

-ful: Full of, used to form adjectives such as painful (full of pain).

-gram: A record or image, as in electrocardiogram (a record of the heart's electrical activity).

-graphy: The process of recording or imaging, as in mammography (imaging of the breast).

-itis: Inflammation, as in arthritis (inflammation of a joint).

-ize: To make or become, used to form verbs such as sterilize (to make free of germs).

-less: Without, used to form adjectives such as painless (without pain).

-megaly: Enlargement, as in hepatomegaly (an enlarged liver).

✅ Check yourself

Question 1 of 3

What does tonsillectomy mean?

  1. Visual examination of the tonsils
  2. Pain felt in or around the tonsils
  3. Surgical removal of the tonsils
  4. Inflammation and swelling of the tonsils
Show the answer and rationale

Answer: C

-ectomy means surgical removal, so a tonsillectomy removes the tonsils. Inflammation of the tonsils is tonsillitis (-itis), and pain would use -algia.

Question 2 of 3

Which suffix turns the verb "agree" into a noun?

  1. -able
  2. -ful
  3. -ment
  4. -ize
Show the answer and rationale

Answer: C

Adding -ment gives "agreement", a noun meaning the result of agreeing. -able makes an adjective (agreeable), and -ful and -ize do not form standard words with agree.

Question 3 of 3

Arthralgia combines arthr (joint) with -algia. What does it mean?

  1. Removal of a joint
  2. Inflammation of a joint
  3. Joint pain
  4. Study of joints
Show the answer and rationale

Answer: C

-algia means pain, so arthralgia is joint pain. Joint inflammation is arthritis (-itis), and the study of joints would end in -ology.

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