nephr-

Nephr- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “kidney.” It is often used in medical terms, especially in anatomy and pathology.

Nephr- comes from the Greek nephrós, meaning “kidney, kidneys.” The Latin word for kidney is rēnēs, yielding such English words as renal.

Nephr- is a variant of nephro-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use nephro- article.

An example of a word you may have encountered that features nephr- is nephrectomy.

Nephr-, as we’ve seen, means “kidney.” The combining form -ectomy means “excision.” So, nephrectomy literally translates to “excision of the kidney.” During a nephrectomy, a surgeon removes one or both of the kidneys.

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

• nephrite
• nephritis
• nephritic 
• nephroid
• nephroma
• nephridium 

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

• neph-
• nepho-

Be mindful that many other words begin with neph- but aren’t using the full combining form nephr- to denote “kidneys,” such as nephew or nephanalysis. Discover the connection between nephew and nepotism at our entries for the words.

Put your knowledge of the meaning of nephr- to the test! The combining form –itis means “inflammation.” With that in mind, what does the condition nephritis involve?