- Greek suffixes and their meaning
- -agogo / a (guide, lead, derivation or conduction of a substance)
- -cardia (related to the heart)
- -cephaly (head)
- -centesis (puncture to obtain fluids)
- -ectomy (cut, section)
- -phagia (related to the act of eating)
- -phobia (fear, fear, intolerance)
- -phony (related to voice or sound)
- -gamia (related to marriage)
- -gnosis / gnosia (knowledge or perception)
- -ico / ica (related to science, knowledge, principles)
- -ism (doctrine, system, way of thinking)
- -itis (inflammation or irritation)
- -pathy (disease)
- -sis (action, formation, operation, generalization)
- -agonic (related to suffering, struggle, combat)
- -izar (the start, which starts to happen)
- -arch (the one who governs or exercises power)
- -tro (instrument, tool)
- -terium (place)
- References
The Greek suffixes are often used in the Spanish language. A suffix is one or more letters or syllables that are placed at the end of a lexeme (or the root of a word), to form a new word. Now, the process of forming new words by adding affixes to a pre-existing one (called primitive) is called derivation.
In Spanish, the derivation is produced by placing prefixes (before the root) or suffixes (after the root). In the case of suffixes, most come from either Greek or Latin. Greek suffixes are especially common in areas like medicine and in many technical fields.
Some authors distinguish between suffixes and root suffixes (or suffixes). The latter are words that in Greek were independent, but in Spanish they became inseparable suffixes: for example, "cracia."
With this suffix or suffix root (depending on the criteria) words such as democracy, autocracy, bureaucracy, meritocracy or theocracy are formed.
Greek suffixes and their meaning
-agogo / a (guide, lead, derivation or conduction of a substance)
- Pedagogue (professional pedagogy).
- Demagogue (person who wins the favor of the people with flattery).
- Cholagogue (substance that causes the evacuation of bile).
- Emenagogue (substance that stimulates blood flow).
- Hemagogue (agent that induces or increases menstrual flow).
-cardia (related to the heart)
- Tachycardia (fast heart rate).
- Dextrocardia (situation of the heart in the right half of the thorax).
- Stenocardia (angina pectoris).
- Bradycardia (decrease in normal heart rate).
- Dexiocardia (deviation of the heart to the right).
-cephaly (head)
- Brachycephaly (condition characterized by the longitudinal shortening of the diameter of the skull).
- Hydrocephalus (increased content of cerebrospinal fluid in the cerebral ventricles, due to a dilation of these).
- Macrocephaly (increase in the size of the head in relation to the age of the person).
- Plagiocephaly (asymmetry and obliquity of the head).
- Microcephaly (lower than average head circumference).
-centesis (puncture to obtain fluids)
- Rachicentesis (puncture in the spinal canal).
- Thoracentesis (thoracic puncture).
- Paracentesis (puncture to obtain peritoneal fluid).
- Arthrocentesis (puncture to obtain joint fluid).
- Amniocentesis (puncture in the womb to obtain amniotic fluid).
-ectomy (cut, section)
- Hysterectomy (partial or total removal of the uterus).
- Mastectomy (partial or total removal of the mammary gland).
- Vasectomy (partial or total removal of the vas deferens from the male sexual organs).
- Splenectomy (partial or total removal of the stomach).
- Gastrectomy (partial or total removal of spleen).
-phagia (related to the act of eating)
- Onychophagia (morbid habit of biting nails).
- Adephagia (insatiable hunger).
- Aerophagia (excessive swallowing of air).
- Anthropophagy (habit of eating human flesh).
- Dysphagia (difficulty or inability to swallow).
-phobia (fear, fear, intolerance)
- Agoraphobia (fear of open spaces).
- Xenophobia (rejection of foreigners).
- Photophobia (intolerance to light).
- Claustrophobia (fear of closed spaces).
- Dysmorphophobia (abnormal concern for some real or imaginary body defect).
-phony (related to voice or sound)
- Bronchophonia (resonance of the voice in the bronchi).
- Polyphony (multiple simultaneous and harmonious sounds).
- Francophonie (community of people around the world who speak the French language).
- Aphonia (total or partial loss of voice).
- Radiophony (transmission of sound using radio waves).
-gamia (related to marriage)
- Endogamy (marriage with people of common descent: same race, caste, social condition).
- Monogamy (the fact or custom of having a romantic relationship or marriage with only one other person).
- Polygamy (marriage with several individuals, generally women, at the same time).
- Exogamy (marriage with people of different ancestry).
- Bigamy (the condition of having two wives or two husbands at the same time).
-gnosis / gnosia (knowledge or perception)
- Diagnosis (procedure through which the nature of a phenomenon is determined, including a disease).
- Prognosis (anticipated knowledge of an event).
- Autognosis (self-knowledge).
- Stereognosis (power to recognize the nature of objects by their shape or consistency).
- Pharmacognosy (study of drugs and medicinal substances of natural origin).
-ico / ica (related to science, knowledge, principles)
- Mathematics (abstract science of numbers, quantity and space).
- Arithmetic (branch of mathematics that deals with the properties of numbers and fractions, and with the basic operations applied to these numbers).
- Politics (the academic study of government and the State).
- Ethics (the branch of knowledge that deals with moral principles).
- Hermeneutics (branch of knowledge that deals with the interpretation of texts, especially the Bible or literary texts).
-ism (doctrine, system, way of thinking)
- Capitalism (economic theory where production is privately owned and controlled by the laws of supply and demand).
- Romanticism (artistic and intellectual movement that highlighted strong emotions as a source of aesthetic experience).
- Taoism (ancient tradition of philosophy and religious belief that is deeply rooted in Chinese customs and worldview).
- Impressionism (French art movement of the 19th century that marked a momentous break from the tradition in European painting).
- Liberalism (political doctrine that takes the protection and improvement of the freedom of the individual as the central problem of politics).
-itis (inflammation or irritation)
- Pharyngitis (inflammation of the pharynx).
- Meningitis (inflammation of the meninges caused by a viral or bacterial infection).
- Gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining).
- Dermatitis (inflammation of the skin).
- Otitis (inflammation in the ear).
-pathy (disease)
- Neuropathy (condition that occurs when peripheral nerves are damaged or broken).
- Encephalopathy (disease in which the functioning of the brain is affected by some agent or condition).
- Gambling (addiction to games of chance and gambling).
- Psychopathy (personality disorder characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy, altered remorse, bold, uninhibited and selfish traits).
- Arthropathy (any disease of the joints).
-sis (action, formation, operation, generalization)
- Acidosis (excessive acidic condition of body fluids or tissues).
- Fibrosis (thickening and scarring of connective tissue, usually as a result of injury).
- Nephrosis (kidney disease that causes the body to lose protein through the urine).
- Thrombosis (local coagulation or blood clotting in a part of the circulatory system).
- Necrosis (death of most or all cells of an organ or tissue due to disease, injury or failure of the blood supply).
-agonic (related to suffering, struggle, combat)
- Antagonic (the opposite, denoting antagonism).
- Leading role (who plays a leading role).
-izar (the start, which starts to happen)
- Mentalize (begin to become aware of a fact, situation or problem).
- Colonize (establish and occupy a territory to impose its culture or norms).
- Fertilize (made the land fertile).
-arch (the one who governs or exercises power)
- Hierarch (individual of a higher category within an institution or society).
- Patriarch (wise and respected man within a family or community).
- Autarch (ruler who exercises absolute power within a state).
- Oligarch (member of an oligarchy where power is exercised).
-tro (instrument, tool)
- Thermometer (instrument to measure temperature).
- Theater (literary genre structured in dialogues).
- Photometer (device developed to measure the intensity of light).
- Barometer (instrument developed for atmospheric pressure).
-terium (place)
- Baptistery (place of the church where the baptismal font is located).
- Cemetery (place destined to bury deceased people or animals).
- Monastery (convent of monks).
- Dicastery (each of the ten spaces of the court of Athens).
References
- Zarzar Charur, C. (2017). Reading and writing workshop 2. Mexico City: Grupo Editorial Patria.
- Pineda Ramírez, MI (2004). Language and Expression 2. Mexico: Pearson Education.
- García, S.; Meilán, AJ and Martínez, H. (2004). Build well in Spanish: the form of words. Oviedo: Ediuno: University of Oviedo.
- Guzmán Lemus, M.; Vázquez García, V. and Alveano Hernández, JA (2004). Prefixes, suffixes and medical terms. Mexico DF: Plaza and Valdés.
- Orozco Turrubiate, JG (2007). Greek etymologies. Mexico: Pearson Education.
- Canteli Dominicis, M. and Reynolds, JJ (2010). Review and write: Advanced course in grammar and composition. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.