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Medical Terminology Part 1

The document provides an introduction to medical terminology including its origins and components. It discusses the four categories of medical terms and explains how terms are constructed from word parts including prefixes, suffixes, roots and combining forms. Examples of each are provided and rules for combining forms are outlined. The document concludes with practice problems to understand how to analyze and define medical terminology.

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B-094. Dwi Purwati
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147 views35 pages

Medical Terminology Part 1

The document provides an introduction to medical terminology including its origins and components. It discusses the four categories of medical terms and explains how terms are constructed from word parts including prefixes, suffixes, roots and combining forms. Examples of each are provided and rules for combining forms are outlined. The document concludes with practice problems to understand how to analyze and define medical terminology.

Uploaded by

B-094. Dwi Purwati
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Intro to Medical

Terminology
Objective of the Study

After completion of the tutorial, the learner will


be able to:

• Explain the components of medical terminology


• Break down the word parts of medical terminology
• Explain the meaning of medical terminology related
with anatomy, physiology, pathology, and procedure
Origins of medical terminology

• Medicine has a language of its own ➔Medical Terminology


• A single medical terminology can describe anatomy of the
body, a disease, condition or procedure that might
otherwise take several words.
• Most of medical terms are derived from Latin and Greek
- There is no possible way for everyone to memorize all of
the words in a medical dictionary.
• Learning how medical terminology constructed will help us
to understand the meaning of Medical terminology
4 Categories of Medical Terms

➢Eponyms: Medical terms named after the people who


discovered a disease or scientific process. Example:
Pasteurization is an eponym named after the scientist Louis
Pasteur, etc
➢Abbreviations: Short versions of longer words. Example:
Histo is the short version of the word: histology, which
means the study of tissues, etc
➢Acronyms: Short Word formed from the first letters of the
longer phrase. Example: SARS (Sever Acute Respiratory
Syndrome), SOB (Short OF Breath)
➢Constructed terms: made up of several distinct parts or
word Roots.
Combining Vowel
Word Parts
Word Parts
• Word roots or combining forms.
• BASIC MEANING of the term.
• Usually indicate body part involved.
• Cardi = heart
• Prefixes usually indicate location, time, number or status.
• Comes at BEGINING of word.
• Pericardium = around the heart
• Suffixes usually indicate the procedure, condition, disorder,
or disease.
• Comes at END of word.
• Cardiomyopathy = disease of heart muscle
• Combining vowels
• as the connector between word roots and suffixes
• Cardiomyopathy
Word
Roots
Word Roots

• Word root is the foundation of the medical


terminology
• It cannot stand alone.
• A prefix and/or suffix must be added
• Word roots in their combining form have a /vowel
• Cardi/o
• Neur/o
• Gastr/o
Word Roots – Body (general)

• homeo- = body • arterio-/angio- = arteries


• cephalo- = head • veno-/vena- = venous
• cerv- = neck • vasculo- = vascular
• thoraco- = chest • musculo- = muscle
• abdomino- = abdominal • myo- /sarco- = muscle
• pelvo/i- = pelvic • skelet- = skeleton; bone
• periton- = peritoneum • osteo- = bone
• derm- = skin/dermis • cyto- = cell
• neuro- = nerve • -cyte = cell; cellular
• hemo- = blood
Word Root – Body (organs)

Neck & Thoracic Organs


• Thyro- = thyroid
• Tracheo- = trachea
• Esophago- = esophagus
• Thymo- = thymus
• Masto-/Mammo- = Mammary gland
• Pulmo- / pneumo- = lung
• Cardio- = heart
Word Roots – Body (organs)

Abdominal Organs
• Gastro- = stomach
• Hepato- = liver
• Cholecysto- = gallbladder
• Spleno- = spleen
• Pancreato- = pancreas
• Adreno- = adrenal gland
• Nephro- = kidney
• Entero- = intestines
• Colo- = colon/large intestine
Combining Vowels

• The combining vowel is used to link the root to the suffix


or the root to another root.
• The combining vowel has no meaning of its own.
• When a vowel is link to the root, this combination is
called combining form.
• A combining vowel is needed to make the medical term
become easier to pronounce
• A combing vowel, if used, is added to the end of the word
root.
• The letter O is the most commonly used combining
vowel.The letter I is also used occasionally
Rules for Using Combining Vowels

1. A combining vowel is used when the suffix begins


with a consonant
• Neur/o + plasty = neuroplasty
• Neur/o = nerve
• Plasty = surgical repair

2. A combining vowel is not used if the suffix begins


with a vowel.
• Neur/o + itis = neuritis.
• Neur = nerve
• itis = inflammation
Rules for Using Combining Vowels

3. A combining vowel is always used when 2 or more


word roots are joined.
• Gastr/o + enter/o + itis = Gastroenteritis.
• Gastr/o = stomach
• enter/o = small intestine
• -itis = inflammation

4. A prefix does not require a combining vowel.


Examples of Combining Form

• Aden/o = gland
• Cardi/o = heart
• Dermat/o = skin
• Enter/o = small intestines
• gastr/o = stomach
• Hemat/o = blood
• Nephr/o = kidney
• Neur/o = nerve
• Pulmon/o = lungs
Prefixes
Prefixes

• A prefix is added at the beginning to change


the meaning of the term.
• They usually indicate location, time or
number.
• Natal means pertaining to(al) + birth (nat).
• Prenatal means time & events before birth.
• Perinatal means time and events just before,
during, & after birth.
• Postnatal means time & event after birth.
Prefixes – Numerical and Speed

Numerical Speed
➢Nulli- = None  Tachy- = rapid; fast
➢Uni-/Mono- = single; singular  Brady-/ brachy- = slow
➢Bi-/Di- = two; double
➢Tri- = three; triple
➢Quad- = four; quadruple
➢Semi- /Hemi- = partial or half
➢Multy- /Poly- = many; a lot
➢Oligo- = few; very little
Prefixes – Sizes and Amounts

• Macro- (large; visible to the naked eye)


• Macro- (small, not visible to the naked eye)
• Hyper- (high; above normal; elevated)
• Hypo- (low; below normal; elevated)
• Eu/normo- (normal)
• Pan-/Omi- (all)
• A-/An- (absent; lacking)
• Megalo- (Large; Larger than average)
Prefixes – Location and Movement

Location Movements
• Epi-/peri-/ circum- = around * Ab- = away
• Endo- / intra- = inside; inner; interior * Ad- =toward
• Exo-/ extra- = outside; outer; exterior * Dis- = to separate
• Inter- = between
• Trans- = across
• Dia- / per- = through; complete
• Medi (o/a) = middle
• Para- = nearby
• Juxta- = next to; beside; adjacent
Prefixes - Colours

• Chromo- /chromato- = color


• Leuko- = white
• Erythro- = red
• Cyano- = blue
• Chloro- = green
• Melan- = black
• Flav- = yellow
Suffixes
Suffixes

• Suffix – added to end of word.


• Usually indicates procedure, condition, disorder, or
disease.
Example:
• Tonsill/o means tonsils. A suffix completes the word
and tells what is happening to the tonsils.
• Tonsillitis.
• tonsill (tonsil) + itis (inflammation).
• Tonsillectomy (tonsil) +(surgical removal).
Suffixes

• Some suffixes change the word root into an adjective.


Many of these suffixes are defne as “pertaining to”.
Most common:-al,-ic, -ac.
• Cardiac cardi/o (heart) + ac (pertaining to).
• cardiac arrest; cardiac output

• Some suffixes change the word root into a noun.


Suffix “um” is a noun ending.
• Cranium crani (skull) + um (noun ending).
• Cranium bone; cranium lateral
Suffixes - General & Condition

• -ic pertaining to
• -al = pertaining to
• -logy = study of
• -logist = specialist of
• -itis = inflammation
• -oma = tumor
• -pathy = disease
• -osis = abnormal condition
• -megaly = enlargement
Common Suffixes - Procedures

• -ectomy = excision;removal
• -tomy = incision;cutting
• -stomy = to make a hole
• -scopy = to view
• -plasty = surgical repair
• -therapy = treatment
Practice Problems

• Divide word into its part.


• Find the meaning of each part.
• Make definition of Medical terminology from
the combination of each part.
• Usually definition starts from suffix, then
prefix (if it has any) and the last is word root.
• The following are the examples of how to find
the meaning of Medical terminology.
Practice Problems
• gastroenterology
• gastr/o- = stomach
• enter/o- = small intestines
• -logy = Study of
• Study of gastrointestinal system.

• endocrinologist
• endocrin/o- = the endocrine system
• -logist = a specialist
• A specialist of endocrine system
Practise Problems
• transdermal
• trans- = Across
• derm- = skin/dermis
• -al = pertaining to
• Across the skin.

• extrathoracic
• extra- = outside; outer; exterior
• thorac- = chest
• -ic =pertaining to
• Pertaining to outside the chest
Practice Problem

• intraabdominal
• intra- = within; inside; inner
• abdomin = abdomen
• -al = relating to
• Within/inside the abdomen.

• adrenal
• ad- = toward; above
• ren = kidney
• -al = relating to
• Organ (toward) above the kidney.
Practice Problems
• parathyroid
• para- = nearby
• -thyroid = thyroid
• Small organs near the thyroid (parathyroid glands).

• perinephric
• peri- = around
• nephr- = kidney
• -ic = pertaining to
• Pertaining to around the kidney.
Practice Problems

• oogenesis
• oo- = egg
• -genesis = the coming into being of something, the
formation
• The formation or development of an ovum/egg.
Now it’s your turn!!!
• gastric
• osteoarthritis
• neuralgia
• nephrectomy
• gastroenterology
• ophthalmologist
• osteoma
• tracheostomy
• Hepatomegaly
• hypodermic
To Be Continued…

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