PRIMARY TERMS
APPEAR IN BOLDFACE.
SECONDARY TERMS
APPEAR IN ORANGE. SOME OF THESE TERMS ARE THE :ALSO KNOWN AS" NAMES OF CONDITIONS OR PROCEDURES.
THE FOUR TYPES OF WORD PARTS
1. A WORD ROOT: BASIC MEANING OF THE TERM. USUALLY, BUT NOT ALWAYS, INDICATES THE INVOLVED BODY PART.
2. COMBINING FORM: IS A WORD ROOT WITH A VOWEL AT THE END SO THAT A SUFFIX BEGINNING WITH A CONSONANT CAN BE ADDED.
3. SUFFIX: USUALLY, BUT NOT ALWAYS, INDICATES THE PROCEDURE, CONDITION, DISORDER, OR DISEASE. ALWAYS COMES AT THE END OF A WORD.
4. PREFIX: USUALLY, BUT NOT ALWAYS, INDICATES LOCATION, TIME, NUMBER, OR STATUS. ALWAYS COMES AT THE BEGINNING OF A WORD.
WORD PART GUIDELINES
1. A WORD ROOT CANNOT STAND ALONE. A SUFFIX MUST BE ADDED TO COMPLETE THE TERM.
2. RULES FOR CREATING A COMBINING FORM BY ADDING A VOWEL APPLY WHEN A SUFFIX BEGINNING WITH A CONSONANT IS ADDED TO A WORD ROOT.
3. WHEN A PREFIX IS NECESSARY, IT IS ALWAYS PLACES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WORD.
COMBINING FORM VOWELS
1. THE LETTER "O" IS THE MOST COMMONLY USED COMBINING VOWEL.
2. WHEN A WORD ROOT IS SHOWN ALONE AS A COMBINING FORM, IT INDICATED A SLASH (/) AND THE COMBINING VOWEL.
RULES FOR USING COMBINING FORM VOWELS
1. COMBINING VOWEL IS USED WHEN THE SUFFIX BEGINS WITH A CONSONANT.
2. A COMBINING VOWEL IS NOT USED WHEN THE SUFFIX BEGINS WITH A VOWEL (A,E,I,O,U)
3. COMBINING VOWEL IS USED WHEN TWO OR MORE WORD ROOTS ARE JOINED.
MYEL/O
SPINAL CORD
MY/O
MUSCLE
OSTE/O
BONE
MYEL/O
BONE MARROW
NEUR/O
NERVE
ARTHR/O
JOINT
TONSILL/O
TONSILS
TONSILLITIS
INFLAMMATION OF THE TONSILS
-ITIS
INFLAMMATION
TONSILLECTOMY
THE SURGICAL REMOVAL OF THE TONSILS
CARNI
SKULL
-UM
NOUN ENDING
SUFFIXES AS NOUN ENDINGS
A NOUN IS A WORD THAT IS THE NAME OF A PERSON PLACE OR THING. IN MED. TERM. SOME SUFFIXES CHANGE THE WORD ROOT INTO A NOUN.
EXAMPLE: CRANIUM IS THE PORTION OF THE SKULL THAT ENCLOSES THE BRAIN.
OTHER SUFFIXES COMPLETE THE TERM BY CHANGING THE WORD ROOT INTO A NOUN.
SUFFIXES MEANING "PERTAINING TO"
AN ADJECTIVE IS A WORD THAT DEFINES OR DESCRIBES A THING. IN MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY MANY SUFFIXES MEANING "PERTAINING TO" CHANGE THE WORD ROOT INTO AN ADJECTIVE.
EXAMPLE: CARDIAC- AN ADJECTIVE THAT MEANS PERTAINING TO THE HEART.
SUFFIXES MEANING ABNORMAL CONDITION
MANY SUFFIXES, SUCH AS -OSIS, MEANS "ABNORAML CONDITION OR DISEASE".
GASTROSIS
ANY DISEASE OF THE STOMACH
GASTR
MEANS STOMACH
-OSIS
ABNORMAL CONDITION OR DISEASE
CYAN/O
MEANS BLUE
ERYTHR/O
MEANS RED
LEUK/O
MEANS WHITE
MELAN/O
MEANS BLACK
POLL/O
MEANS GREY
CYANOSIS
BLUE DISCOLORATION OF THE SKIN CAUSE BY A LACK OF ADEQUATE OXYGEN IN THE BLOOD
ERYTHROCYTE
A MATURE RED BLOOD CELL
-CYTE
CELL
LEUKOCYTE
WHITE BLOOD CELL
MELANOSIS
ANY CONDITION OF UNUSUAL DEPOSITS OF BLACK PIGMENT IN BODY TISSUES OR ORGANS.
POLIOMYELITIS
A VIRAL INJECTION OF THE GREY MATTER OF THE SPINAL CORD
PATHOLOGY
STUDY OF ALL ASPECTS OF DISEASE
PATH
MEANS DISEASE
-OLOGY
MEANS THE STUDY OF
-ALGIA
PAIN AND SUFFERING
GASTRALGIA
STOMACH ACHE
-DYNIA
ALSO MEANS PAIN, ALTHOUGH IT MEANS THE SAME AS -ALGIA IT IS NOT USED AS COMMONLY.
GASTRODYNIA
ALSO MEANS STOMACH ACHE
-ITIS
MEANS INFLAMMATION
GASTRITIS
INFLAMMATION OF THE STOMACH
-MALACIA
ABNORMAL SOFTENING
ARTERIOMALACIA
ABNORMAL SOFTENING OF THE WALLS OF AN ARTERY OR ARTERIES.
-MEGALY
ENLARGEMENT
HEPATOMEGALY
ABNORMAL ENLARGEMENT OF THE LIVER
HEPAT/O
MEANS LIVER
-NECROSIS
MEANS TISSUE DEATH
ARTERIONECROSIS
TISSUE DEATH OF A ARTERY OR ARTERIES
-SCLEROSIS
ABNORMAL HARDENING
ARTERIOSCLEROSIS
ABNORMAL HARDENING OF AN ARTERY OR ARTERIES
-STENOSIS
ABNORMAL NARROWING
ARTERIOSTENOSIS
ABNORMAL NARROWING OF AN ARTERY OR ARTERIES
-CENTESIS
SURGICAL PUNCTURE TO REMOVE FLUID FOR DIAGNOSTIC PURPOSES OR TO REMOVE EXCESS FLUID
ABDOMINOCENTESIS
SURGICAL PUNCTURE OF THE OF THE ADBOMINAL CAVITY TO REMOVE FLUID
-GRAPHY
MEANS THE PURPOSE OF PRODUCING A PICTURE OR RECORD
ANGIOGRAPHY
PROCESS OF PRODUCING A RADIOGRAPHIC (X-RAY) STUDY OF THE BLOOD VESSELS AFTER THE INJECTION OF A CONTRAST MEDIUM TO MAKE THESE BLOOD VESSELS VISIBLE
-GRAM
PICTURE OR RECORD
ANGIOGRAM
FILM PRODUCED BY ANGIOGRAPHY
ANGI/O
BLOOD VESSEL
-PLASTY
SURGICAL REPAIR
MYOPLASTY
SURGICAL REPAIR OF A MUSCLE
-SCOPY
VISUAL EXAMINATION
ARTHROSCOPY
THE VISUAL EXAMINATION OF THE INTERNAL STRUCTURES OF A JOINT
-RRHAGE AND -RRHAGIA
MEANS BLEEDING, HOWEVER THEY ARE MOST OFTEN USED TO DESCRIBE SUDDEN, SEVERE BLEEDING
HEMORRAGE
LOSS OF A LARGE AMOUNT OF BLOOD IN A SHORT TIME
-RRHAPHY
SURGICAL SUTURING TO CLOSE A WOUND AND INCLUDES THE USE OF SUTURES, STAPLES, OR SURGICAL GLUE.
MYORRHAPHY
SURGICAL SUTURING OF A MUSCLE WOUND
-RRHEA
MEANS FLOW OR DISCHARGE AND REFERS TO THE FLOW OF MOST BODY FLUIDS
DIARRHEA
IS THE FREQUENT FLOW OR LOOSE OR WATERY STOOLS
DIA-
MEANS THROUGH
-RRHEXIS
RUPTURE
MYORRHEXIS
RUPTURE OF A MUSCLE
NATAL
MEANS PERTAINING TO BIRTH
NAT
MEANS BIRTH
PRENATAL
MEANS THE TIME AND EVENTS BEFORE BIRTH
PRE-
MEANS BEFORE
PERINATAL
REFERS TO THE TIME AND EVENTS SURROUNDING BIRTH, THIS IS THE TIME JUST BEFORE, DURING, AND JUST AFTER BITH.
PERI-
MEANS SURROUNDING
POSTNATAL
REFERS TO THE TIME AND EVENTS AFTER BIRTH
POST-
MEANS AFTER
AB-
MEANS AWAY
DYS-
MEANS BAD, DIFFICULT, OR PAINFUL
HYPER-
MEANS EXCESSIVE OR INCREASED
INTER-
MEANS BETWEEN OR AMONG
SUB-
MEANS UNDER, LESS, OR BELOW
AD-
MEANS TOWARD OR IN THE FIRECTION OF
EU-
MEANS GOOD, NORMAL, WELL, OR EASY
HYPO-
MEANS DEFICIENT OR DECREASED
INTRA-
MEANS WITHIN OR INSIDE
SUPER-, SUPRA-
MEANS ABOVE OR EXCESSIVE
ABNORMAL
MEANS NOT NORMAL OR AWAY FROM NORMAL
DYSFUNCTIONAL
MEANS AN ORGAN OR BODY PART THAT IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY.
HYPERTENSION
IS HIGHER THAN NORMAL BLOOD PRESSURE
INTERSTITIAL
MEANS BETWEEN, BOT NOT WITHIN, THAT PARTS OF A TISSUE
SUBCOSTAL
MEANS BLOW A RIB OR RIBS
ADDICTION
MEANS DRAWN TOWARD OR A STRONG DEPENDENCE ON A DRUG OR SUBSTANCE
EUTHYROID
A NORMALLY FUNCTIONING THYROID GLAND
HYPOTENSION
IS A LOWER THAN NORMAL BLOOD PRESSURE
INTRAMUSCULAR
MEANS WITHIN THE MUSCLE
SUPRACOSTAL
MEANS ABOVE OR OUTSIDE THE RIBS
LARYNG
MEANS LARYN AND THROAT
RHIN/O
MEANS NOSE
OT/O
EAR
OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGY
THE STUDY OF THE EARS, NOSE, AND THROAT
TAKING TERMS APART
1. ALWAYS START AT THE END OF THE WORD, WITH THE SUFFIX, AND WORK TOWARD THE BEGINNING