Dean Vaughn Medical Terminology Practice Test

Retr(o)- denotes direction toward the back of the body. This combining form is used when describing movement or position at the rear, as in terms like retroflexion (bending backward) or retropharyngeal (behind the pharynx). Because of that, the direction described is backwards. The other directions are expressed with different prefixes: forwards would be indicated by antero- or pro-; above by supra- or super-; below by infra- or sub-. Keeping retr(o)- in mind helps you recognize backward/behind rather than any of the other directions.