Suffix · forms nouns
From Greek "haima" (blood): indicates a blood condition or the presence of a substance in the blood. Anemia, leukemia, hyperglycemia.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
The suffix -emia (American English) or -aemia (British English) comes from Greek "haima" (blood) and indicates a condition affecting the blood, or the presence, excess or deficiency of a substance in the blood. From "an-" (without) comes "anemia" (too little haemoglobin/iron in blood); from "leuko-" (white) comes "leukemia" (too many abnormal white blood cells); from "hyper- + glyco-" comes "hyperglycemia" (too much sugar in blood).
The -emia system is very logical: the prefix names the substance and an optional modifier shows whether there is too much or too little: hyper + glyc + emia = hyperglycemia (too much sugar → diabetes) hypo + glyc + emia = hypoglycemia (too little sugar → dizziness) hyper + lip + emia = hyperlipidemia (too much fat in blood) an + emia = anemia (too little haemoglobin) leuko + emia = leukemia (blood cancer: too many abnormal white cells) septic + emia = septicemia (bacteria in the bloodstream) bacter + emia = bacteremia (bacteria in blood) poly + cyte + emia = polycythemia (too many red blood cells)
"Anemia" (US) / "anaemia" (UK): - Literally "without blood" (an = without + emia = blood) - In practice: deficiency of haemoglobin or red blood cells - Symptoms: fatigue, paleness, breathlessness - Most common cause: iron deficiency ("iron-deficiency anemia") "Leukemia" (US) / "leukaemia" (UK): - leuko = white (white blood cells) - A blood cancer: uncontrolled production of abnormal white blood cells - Pronounced /luːˈkiːmiə/ = "loo-KEE-mee-uh"
Substance or condition + emia (presence or state in the blood).
Spelling: American English = -emia (anemia, leukemia). British English = -aemia (anaemia, leukaemia). Both correct. In international scientific contexts, the American spelling is increasingly dominant.
-emia / -aemia/iːmiə/ · sounds like 'EE-mee-uh'
Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
"anemia" = lack of haemoglobin/red blood cells (fatigue, pallor). "leukemia" = blood cancer with uncontrolled abnormal white blood cell production. Completely different conditions.
"anemia" is American spelling; "anaemia" is British. Both correct. International scientific texts increasingly use the American form.
hyper- = excess → hyperglycemia = too much blood sugar (uncontrolled diabetes). hypo- = deficiency → hypoglycemia = too little blood sugar (dizziness, cold sweat). Many people mix up hyper/hypo.
A trick to remember it
-emia = blood condition. Key ones: anemia (low iron/haemoglobin), leukemia (blood cancer), hyperglycemia (too much sugar = diabetes), hypoglycemia (too little sugar = dizziness). Remember: hyper = excess, hypo = deficiency.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"Leukemia" literally means...
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
Difference between "hyperglycemia" and "hypoglycemia":
The suffix -emia / -aemia from Greek "haima" (blood): indicates a blood condition or the presence of a substance in the blood. Anemia, leukemia, hyperglycemia. In Spanish it usually maps to -emia.
The ending -emia / -aemia is pronounced /iːmiə/ · sounds like 'EE-mee-uh'. For example, "anemia".
"an (without) + haima" becomes "anemia". It is a typical example of the -emia / -aemia suffix.
Indicates inflammation of an organ or body part: arthr + itis = arthritis.
From Greek "-osis" (process, condition): indicates a disease, pathological state or biological process. Fibrosis, psychosis, metamorphosis.
From Greek "pathos" (feeling, suffering): indicates a deep emotion or a disease. Empathy, neuropathy.
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