An-
An-: Prefix very much employed in medicine and all of the health sciences, indicating “not, without, or -less.”
For example, the prefix “an” figures into these words: anemia (without blood), anophthalmia (no eye), anotia (no ear), anoxia (no oxygen).
The “an-” usually becomes “a-” before a consonant as, for example, in alexia (not read), aphagia (not eat), aphonia (not voice, voiceless).
The prefix “an-” comes from the Greek meaning “not.”
Read Also:
- Anion
Anion: A negatively charged ion. Pronounced an-I-on. An anion is as opposed to a cation, which is a positively charged ion.
- Anion gap
Anion gap: A measurement of the interval between the sum of “routinely measured” cations minus the sum of the “routinely measured” anions in the blood. The anion gap = (Na+ + K+) – (Cl- + HCO3-) where Na- is sodium, K+ is potassium, Cl- is chloride, and HCO3- is bicarbonate. The anion gap can be […]
- Aniso-
Aniso-: Unequal, unlike, or dissimilar. As in anisocoria, anisocytosis, and anisometropia. From the Greek anisos meaning unequal, from an-, not, + isos, equal. The opposite of aniso- is iso-.
- Anisocoria
Anisocoria: A condition in which the left and right pupils of the eyes are not of equal size. The size of the pupil determines how much light is let into the eye. With anisocoria, the larger pupil lets more light enter the eye. There are many causes of anisocoria, including eye injury or infection and […]
- Anisocytosis
Anisocytosis: Excessive inequality in the size of the red blood cells. Anisocytosis is apparent on a blood smear examined under a microscope.