DEFINITION of -ar

Forms adjectives: pertaining to, located in; -ar is a Latin-derived adjectival suffix that transforms nouns into adjectives, indicating a relationship, characteristic, or association with the base word. In medical terminology, it creates descriptive terms that specify anatomical structures, physiological processes, or pathological conditions by denoting “pertaining to,” “relating to,” or “connected with” the root word it modifies.


ETYMOLOGY of -ar

latin

  • Origin: Latin suffix -āris (masculine/feminine) or -āre (neuter)
  • Meaning: “pertaining to,” “connected with
  • Evolution: Directly borrowed into medical Latin and subsequently into English medical terminology

RELATED TERMS to -ar

-arpertaining tolocated in--
-acYESYES--
-anYESYES--
-alYESYES--
-aryYES-place for-
-ealYESYES--
-eanYESYES--
-eticYES---
-icYES-drugagent
-idYES-condition (of)state (of)
-ileYES-capable of (being)like
-ineYESYES--
-itic(to inflammation)-drugagent
-iveYES---
-oticYES---
-ousYES-characterized byfull of
-ticYES-drugagent, person

Related Terms (Medical Examples)

  • Ocular (ocul-/-ar) - pertaining to the eye
  • Vascular (vascul-/-ar) - pertaining to blood vessels
  • Muscular (muscul-/-ar) - pertaining to muscles
  • Auricular (auricul-/-ar) - pertaining to the ear or atrium
  • Icular (ilic-/-ar) - pertaining to the ilium
  • Molecular (molecul-/-ar) - pertaining to molecules
  • Cellular (cellul-/-ar) - pertaining to cells
  • Glandular (glandul-/-ar) - pertaining to glands
  • Tubular (tubul-/-ar) - pertaining to tubes
  • Ventricular (ventricul-/-ar) - pertaining to a ventricle


Med roots dictionary Appendix A Prefixes Appendix B Combining Forms Appendix C Suffixes Appendix D Suffix forms