What is Medical Terminology?

Why learn Medical Terminology? Medical terms convey the greatest amount of information with the least confusion and most precision. The foundation of medical terms is Greek and Latin It is impossible to learn all medical terms, but it is possible to figure out their meaning through learning basic word parts.

Etymology Etymology: The science of the origin and development of words Indicates the origin and historical development of a term Helps decipher words with Latin and Greek origins

Types of Med Terms Eponyms Acronyms Abbreviations Words named after people EX: Parkinson’s disease; named after English physician Dr. James Parkinson Acronyms Modern language terms that stand for longer phrases EX: HIV, SIDS Abbreviations Shortened forms of words Many common abbreviations, but ach medical facility has their own list of approved medical terms

Basic Word Parts: Roots The glue that holds all medical terms together Main part/foundation of the word A combining vowel, usually an “o” or an “I” joins the root with a prefix, suffix or another root.

Basic Word Parts: Combining vowels Vowels that bridge word roots with another root, prefix or suffix. Are not used if the word root or suffix begins with a vowel. EX: Encephal(o) (root meaning brain) encephalitis Itis means: inflammation of Since itis starts with an “I” a combining vowel is not needed Encephalogram “gram” is a suffix meaning tracing or record; -gram does not start with a vowel so it needs the combing vowel “o”

Basic Word Parts: Prefixes Appear at the beginning of words Tell “how, why, where, when, how much, how many, position, direction, time or status” Give us a clue of what to expect in a word’s meaning Serve to further define the word root

Basic Word Parts: Suffixes Appear at the ends of words Tell us what’s happening with a specific body part or system Entail what is wrong with patient or the procedure used to diagnose or fix it

Combining Form Cardi/o/gram; underlined is combing form The combination of a word root with the combining vowel Cardi/o/gram; underlined is combing form

Analysis GASTR/O/ENTER/O/LOGY Root root suffix combining vowels Learning to divide words into basic elements will help you to interpret them. Basic elements: roots, suffixes, prefixes, combining vowels GASTR/O/ENTER/O/LOGY Root root suffix combining vowels Gastroenterology = the study of the intestines and stomach

Rules to remember Read the meaning of medical terms from the suffix back to the first part of the word Drop the combining vowel (usually o) before a suffix beginning with a vowel Gastric not gastroic Retain the combining vowel between two roots in a word

Spelling is ESSENTIAL Many words are pronounced alike but are spelled differently and have entirely different meanings Examples Ileum-part of the small intestines Ilium-part of the pelvic or hip bone

Pronunciation is also important Words spelled correctly but pronounced incorrectly may be misunderstood Examples Urethra (yoo-ree thruh) is the urinary tract tube leading from the urinary bladder to the external surface Ureter (yoo-ree-ter) is one of the two tubes leading from the kidney to the urinary bladder