Word Formation B–D for Medical English: Practice Exercises & Examples

Word Formation B–D for Medical English: Practice Exercises & ExamplesUnderstanding how medical terms are formed makes it much easier to read, remember, and use clinical vocabulary accurately. This article focuses on word formation for medical English terms whose key elements (prefixes, roots, or suffixes) begin with the letters B, C, and D. You’ll get concise explanations, common building blocks, clear examples, and practice exercises with answers.

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Why word formation matters in medical English

Medical terminology is largely built from Latin and Greek components. Learning common prefixes, combining forms (roots), and suffixes lets you:

• Decode unfamiliar terms quickly.
• Form precise terms from known elements.
• Improve reading comprehension of reports, textbooks, and research.

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B: Common prefixes, roots, and suffixes

Key prefixes starting with B

• bi- (Latin): meaning “two.” Example: bicuspid — having two cusps.
• brady- (Greek): meaning “slow.” Example: bradycardia — slow heart rate.
• brachy- (Greek): meaning “short.” Example: brachytherapy — short-distance radiation therapy.

Common roots starting with B

• bronch(o)- / bronchi-: related to bronchus/airways. Example: bronchitis — inflammation of the bronchi.
• bili- / chol(e)-: related to bile (bili- often in compounds). Example: bilirubin — bile pigment.
• bi(o)-: life (bio- as a combining form). Example: biochemistry — chemistry of life.

Suffixes starting with B

Suffixes beginning with B are rare as standard medical suffixes; more often a root or combining form will contain b. However, endings like -blast (immature cell) begin with B:

• -blast: immature precursor cell. Example: osteoblast — bone-forming cell.

Examples:

• Brachycephalic: brachy- (short) + cephal- (head) + -ic (pertaining to) → having a short head.
• Bilateral: bi- (two) + later- (side) + -al (pertaining to) → involving both sides.

Practice (B)

1. Break down and define: bradykinesia.
2. Form a term meaning “inflammation of the bronchus.”
3. What does osteoblast mean?

Answers (end of article).

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C: Common prefixes, roots, and suffixes

Key prefixes starting with C

• cardi- / cardio- (Greek kardia): heart. Example: cardiology.
• chemo-: chemical or chemotherapy. Example: chemotherapy.
• cyto-: cell. Example: cytology.
• cuti- / derm-: skin (cuti- Latin, derm- Greek). Example: cutaneous.

Common roots starting with C

• carcin(o)-: cancer. Example: carcinoma.
• cephal(o)- / cephal-: head. Example: encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).
• chole- / bili-: bile (chole- Greek, bili- Latinized). Example: cholecystectomy — removal of the gallbladder.
• crin- / -crine: to secrete. Example: endocrine.

Important suffixes starting with C

• -centesis: surgical puncture to remove fluid. Example: thoracentesis.
• -cyte: cell. Example: erythrocyte (red blood cell).
• -cele: hernia or protrusion. Example: meningocele.

Examples:

• Carcinogenesis: carcin(o)- (cancer) + -genesis (creation) → formation of cancer.
• Cardiomegaly: cardio- (heart) + -megaly (enlargement) → enlargement of the heart.

Practice ©

1. Define: encephalopathy.
2. Form a word meaning “surgical removal of the thyroid.”
3. Break down: hepatocyte.

Answers (end of article).

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D: Common prefixes, roots, and suffixes

Key prefixes starting with D

• dys- (Greek): bad, difficult, abnormal. Example: dysphagia — difficulty swallowing.
• dia- (Greek): through, across, complete. Example: dialysis — separation through a membrane.
• dexa- / dextro-: right or clockwise (dextro-). Example: dextrocardia — heart on the right side.

Common roots starting with D

• derm- / dermato- / cutane-: skin. Example: dermatitis.
• dent- / dento- / odont-: tooth. Example: dentist, orthodontics.
• dactyl-: finger or toe. Example: polydactyly — extra fingers or toes.
• duct- / -duction: to lead or carry. Example: ductal carcinoma (cancer of a duct).

Important suffixes starting with D

• -desis: surgical fusion. Example: arthrodesis — fusion of a joint.
• -drome: running together; a set of symptoms that occur together. Example: syndrome.
• -dynia: pain. Example: mastodynia (breast pain).

Examples:

• Dyspepsia: dys- (bad) + pepsia (digestion) → indigestion.
• Dermatosis: dermato- (skin) + -osis (condition) → any skin condition.

Practice (D)

1. Break down and define: dactylitis.
2. Form a term meaning “fusion of a joint.”
3. What does dextrocardia mean?

Answers (end of article).

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Common patterns and combining rules

• Combining vowel: an “o” (or sometimes “i” or “a”) is often used between root and suffix for easier pronunciation (e.g., hepat + o + -logy → hepatology).
• Prefixes attach to the front of roots without combining vowels (e.g., dys + phagia → dysphagia).
• When combining two roots, use a combining vowel: cardi + o + myo + pathy → cardiomyopathy.

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Practice exercises (mixed B–D)

For clarity, try these 12 exercises. After each block there’s a short space; answers follow after the full set.

A. Identify components and define:

1. bronchiectasis
2. bilirubinuria
3. carcinoma in situ (break down carcinoma)
4. cardiomyopathy

B. Build terms from elements:

1. inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecyst- + -itis)
2. slow breathing (brady- + pnea)
3. surgical puncture of the chest to remove fluid (thorac- + -centesis)
4. pain in a finger (dactyl- + -dynia)

C. Short translation/interpretation:

1. polydactyly
2. nephrectomy (nephr- + -ectomy)
3. dysphonia
4. osteoblastoma (oste- + -blast + -oma)

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Answers to practice exercises

A. Identify components and define:

1. bronchiectasis = bronch(i)- (bronchus) + -ectasis (dilation) → dilation of the bronchi.
2. bilirubinuria = bilirubin (bile pigment) + -uria (urine) → bilirubin in the urine.
3. carcinoma = carcin(o)- (cancer) + -oma (tumor) → malignant tumor arising from epithelial tissue; carcinoma in situ = localized carcinoma not yet invasive.
4. cardiomyopathy = cardio- (heart) + myo- (muscle) + -pathy (disease) → disease of heart muscle.

B. Build terms from elements:

1. cholecystitis — inflammation of the gallbladder.
2. bradypnea — abnormally slow breathing.
3. thoracentesis — surgical puncture of the chest (thorax) to remove fluid.
4. dactylodynia (or dactylodynia/dactylalgia) — pain in a finger or toe.

C. Short translation/interpretation:

1. polydactyly = poly- (many) + dactyl- (digits) + -y → more than the usual number of fingers/toes.
2. nephrectomy = nephr(o)- (kidney) + -ectomy (removal) → surgical removal of a kidney.
3. dysphonia = dys- (difficulty/abnormal) + -phonia (voice) → difficulty producing voice; hoarseness.
4. osteoblastoma = osteo- (bone) + -blast (immature cell) + -oma (tumor) → tumor composed of osteoblasts (rare benign bone tumor).

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Tips for learning and memorizing

• Group terms by prefix/root (e.g., all dys- words) and quiz yourself.
• Create flashcards showing component → meaning on the back; include an example term.
• Read short medical case reports and underline unfamiliar terms, then decode them by parts.
• Practice forming new terms from a fixed list of building blocks; this improves production as well as recognition.

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Additional practice set (answers below)

Make terms, then check:

1. inflammation of the thyroid (thyroid- + -itis)
2. removal of the gallbladder (cholecyst- + -ectomy)
3. abnormal condition of the skin (dermato- + -osis)
4. slow heart rate (brady- + cardi- + -ia)
5. tumor of glandular tissue (aden- + -oma)

Answers:

1. thyroiditis
2. cholecystectomy
3. dermatosis
4. bradycardia
5. adenoma

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Final notes

Regular short practice (10–15 minutes/day) decoding and building terms will strongly improve comprehension and vocabulary recall. Use clinical contexts (lab reports, imaging captions, case studies) to anchor abstract components to real clinical meaning.