myel-

Myel- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “marrow” or “of the spinal cord.” It is often used in medical terms.

Marrow is a soft, fatty, vascular tissue in the interior cavities of bones that is a major site of blood cell production.

Myel- comes from the Greek myelós, meaning “marrow.”

Myel- is a variant of myelo-, which loses its -o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.

Want to know more? Read our Words That Use myelo- article.

An example of a word you may have seen that features myel- is myelitis, the medical term for inflammation of bone marrow or the substance of the spinal cord.

As you know, the combining form myel- means “marrow” or “of the spinal cord.” But what about the rest of the word, -itis? It might also look familiar. The combining form -itis is used in medical terms for “inflammation.” The word myelitis translates literally to “marrow (or spinal cord) inflammation.”

What are some words that use the combining form myel-?

• myelapoplexy
• myelencephalon
• myelin
• myelinated
• myeloma
• myelitis 

What are some other forms that myel- may be commonly confused with?

• my-
• myx-

The combining form -osis refers to disorders and abnormal states. What tissue in the body does myelosis have an abnormal proliferation of?