Prefixes to Commonly Used Terms in Neuroscience

PREFIX		MEANING
ab-		away from
acou-		hear
act-		do, act
ad-, aff-	to
aden-		gland
aer-            air, gas
alg-		pain
alve-		tough
ambi-           both sides
amphi-          about, around, both sides
ana-            up, apart, across
andr-		man
angi-           blood vessel, duct
ante-		before
anti-		against, counter
apo-            from
arachn-		spider
arch-		beginning, origin
arthr-          joint
articul-        joint
audi-           hearing
aur-            ear
ax-, axon-	axis
bar-		weight
bi-             two, double
blast-		bud
brachi-		arm
brady-		slow
capit-          head
cata-           down
caud-		tail
cell-		cell, room
centr-		center
cephal-		head
cerv-           neck
chord-		string, cord
chro-		color
chron-          time
circum-         around
contra-		against, counter
corpus-		body
crani-		skull
cry-            cold
cut-		skin
de-             away from
dendr-		tree
dent-           tooth
derm-           skin
di-             twice, double
dia-            through, apart
dis-            apart from
dors-		back
dys-		bad, improper

PREFIX		MEANING
angio-	        vessel
audio-          hearing
anti-           against
brady-          slow
cyto-           cell
ect-		outside
ecto-           outer, outside
electr-		amber
encephal-       brain
end-		inside
endo-           within
epi-		upon, after, on
eso-            inward
esthe-		feel, perceive
eu-		good, normal
exo-		outside
extra-          outside of, beyond
fibr-           fibrous, fibers
glom-           little ball
gloss-          tongue
graph-		write, scratch
hemi-		half
hyper-		above, beyond, extreme
hypno-		sleep
hypo-		below, under
inflamm-        setting on fire
infra-		beneath
inter-		among, between
intra-		inside
intro-          into
lingu-          tongue
macro-          large
medi-		middle
mega-           large
meningo-	membrane
mes-		middle
meta-		beyond
micro-		small
multi-          many
ophthalm-       eye
para-		beside, beyond
peri-		around
phag-           eat
phon-           sound
phot-           light
poly-		many
post-           after, behind
pre-            before, in front of
proprio-        self, one's own
quadri-         four
resti-          rope
retro-		backwards
semi-           half
somat-		body
spondyl -       vertebra
sub-		under, below
supra-		above
syringo-        pipe, tube
tachy-          fast
tel-		end
trans-          through, across, over

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