Meaning & use
suffix -scopy
Last updated
Meaning
suffixmedicalspecialist
Used in medical words to mean an examination of the inside of the body using a special instrument.
Grammar: Attaches to a body part or organ name to form a noun: endo- + -scopy → endoscopy.
Patterns
- body part + -scopy
- undergo -scopy
The doctor recommended an endoscopy to check his stomach.
She had a colonoscopy as part of her routine screening.
Common combinations
- undergo an endoscopy
- He had to undergo an endoscopy before the surgery.
- routine colonoscopy
- A routine colonoscopy can find problems early.
- laparoscopy procedure
- The laparoscopy procedure took less than an hour.
Synonyms and how they differ
- examination
- A general word for any medical check; -scopy is more specific and means looking inside with an instrument.
Word family
- -scope suffix
- The instrument used for looking: endoscope, microscope.
- -scopic suffix
- The adjective form: endoscopic, microscopic.
Commonly confused: suffix -scopy or -graphy?
suffix -scopy vs -graphy
Also names a medical test, but it usually means recording an image or signal, as in radiography, not looking directly with a tube.
Practice
Which word correctly uses the suffix -scopy?
Choose one answer.
Endoscopy is the procedure, which is what -scopy names. Endoscope is the instrument, endoscopic is the adjective, and endoscopist is the doctor who performs it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “suffix -scopy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.