What does the suffix -OID mean?

Study for the AMCI Introduction to Medical Terminology Test. Prepare with multiple choice questions, flashcards, hints, and explanations. Enhance your knowledge and get ready for your exam!

Multiple Choice

What does the suffix -OID mean?

Explanation:
The suffix -oid means resembling or like. In medical terms, it’s used to show that something has a form or character similar to what the base word describes. For example, humanoid means human-like, asteroid means star-like, and spheroid means sphere-shaped. So this ending is all about likeness, not about being a disease, a tumor, or something that involves breaking. Those ideas would come from other word parts: disease or inflammation would use endings like -itis or -osis, tumor is often -oma, and a breaking action would use different roots or suffixes such as -clasia or -lysis.

The suffix -oid means resembling or like. In medical terms, it’s used to show that something has a form or character similar to what the base word describes. For example, humanoid means human-like, asteroid means star-like, and spheroid means sphere-shaped. So this ending is all about likeness, not about being a disease, a tumor, or something that involves breaking. Those ideas would come from other word parts: disease or inflammation would use endings like -itis or -osis, tumor is often -oma, and a breaking action would use different roots or suffixes such as -clasia or -lysis.

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