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