Introduction
Adjectives in the first and second declension change in gender, number, and case.
These adjectives agree with the nouns they modify in gender, number, and case but differ in endings. This is called a coordinated attribute.
Some adjectives can be used as nouns: rectum, caecum, arachnoidea, and vagus.
Suffixes
Suffixes play an important role in the meaning of adjectives and provide important information for defining medical terms.
Here is a list of important suffixes and their meanings:
-us, -a, -um: Shows attribution or connection to something, such as body parts, substances, or states. Examples: hepaticus (attributed to the liver), lymphaticus (attributed to lymph).
-osus, -osa, -osum: Means presence or abundance of something. Examples: fibrosus (full of fibers), varicosus (full of varices).
-lentus, -lenta, -lentum: Means presence or abundance of something. Example: purulentus (abundant in matter).
-fer, -fera, -ferum: Means "bringing" or "inducing" something. Example: somnifer (inducing dream).
-phorus, -phora, -phorum: Means "containing" something. Example: oophorus (containing eggs).
-(o)ideus, -(o)idea, -(o)ideum: Means similarity to something. Examples: deltoideus (similar to the Greek letter Δ), xiphoideus (similar to a sword).
-anus, -ana, -anum; -ivus, -iva, -ivum; -inus, -ina, -inum: Means "related" or "associated" to something. Examples: medianus (related to the middle), auditivus (related to hearing), uterinus (related to the uterus).