Tackling The Veterinary Terminology: Suffixes (-ac/al)

Remember the Spelling Bee? Big words are easier to tackle when you understand how they're put together. Veterinary terms are composed in the same way. Just like with other words, the main parts of a veterinary term are a prefix, a root, and a suffix. The difference is that they typically come more directly from Greek or Latin.

The suffix is the bit that will tell you about what procedure, condition, disease or disorder you're dealing with.

-ac [ək]/-al [əl] from Greek - relating to, affected by

These two suffixes generally turn nouns into associated adjectives, indicating that the issue relates to whatever the root word is. Pretty simple stuff.

Cardiac, pertaining to the heart. Neural, relating to a nerve or the nervous system. Hormonal, having to do with hormones. Pleural, pertaining to membrane lining the chest cavity and lung surface. Spinal, having to do with the spine. Anal, relating to anus.

Examples, cardiac arrest, (also known as cardiopulmonary arrest or circulatory arrest) occurs when normal blood circulation ceases due to the heart's inability to contract. Pleural effusion, abnormal accumulation of fluid in the chest cavity. Cerebrospinal fluid tap, a collection of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for diagnostic purposes. Anal glands, well, many of you know about those.

Piece of cake, as long as you understand the root words.

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Veterinary Suffixes (-tomy) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-ectomy)  
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