Introduction to Medical Terminology

Overview Medical terminology is a specialized language used by health care professionals Just like a foreign language, it has its own vocabulary and ways of stringing together words in a way that is understandable to everyone. But, unlike a foreign language, you come across medical terminology every day in magazines and newspapers with articles about new drugs, diets, new medical treatments and on television medical dramas.

Introduction Many medical terms have interesting, even weird meanings or stories behind their evolution as words. I will bet you already know some medical terms. Have you heard of an esophagus, the tube that connects your throat with your stomach? Esophagus comes from Greek words meaning “that which swallows what we eat.” How about Fallopian tubes? They are named after a 16th century Italian anatomist, Gabriello Fallopio. Okay, surely you have heard of a placenta. Placenta means a “flat cake” in Greek, simply describing its shape.

Medical Terminology Medical Terminology: a specialized language of medicine used by health care providers

Medical Word Elements Elements of medical terms: Word root Combining form Suffix Prefix The meaning of the word changes when you change one of these word elements Prenatal

Word Roots Word Root: the foundation of a medical term that contains its meaning Examples: hydr = water, arthr = joint, cardi = heart

Combining Forms Combining form: created when a word root is combined with a vowel Hydr/o Arthr/o Cardi/o Combining vowel: usually an o but sometimes an e or an i is used Bil/i Pelv/i

Linking Word Parts When to use a combining form: ONLY use when the suffix begins with a constant Examples: Arthr + -pathy = Arthr + -itis = Gastr + -centesis =

Suffixes Suffix: a word element placed at the end of a word that changes the meaning of the word Describes pathology (disease or abnormality), symptom, or a surgical or diagnostic procedure Examples: Mast + -ectomy = Mastectomy Mast + -itis = Mastitis

Prefixes Prefix: a word element placed the beginning of a word that changes the meaning of the word Indicates number, time, position, direction, or negation No connecting vowel is required Examples: Pre + nat + al = Post + nat + al =

Steps to Defining Medical Terms Define the suffix or last part of the word Define the first part of the word Define the middle part(s) of the word Examples: osteoarthritis nephropathy gastroenterologist

Rules to Building Medical Terms A word root links a suffix that begins with a vowel Examples: gastritis, appendectomy 2. A combining form links a suffix that begins with a consonant Example: colonoscopy 3. A combining form links a word root to another root word Examples: gastroenteritis, osteochondritis

Hyperglycemia Writing Medical Terms Hyper- + glyc(o) + -emia = Increased sugar in the blood Hyper- Glyc(o) -emia Hyper- + glyc(o) + -emia = Hyperglycemia

Interpreting Difficult Terms Gastroenteritis Stomach Intestines Inflammation Gastroenteritis is inflammation of the stomach and all or part of the intestines

Pronouncing Medical Terms When pn is at the beginning of a word, the p is silent Ch is sometimes pronounced k When i is at the end of a word it is pronounced “eye” For ae and oe, only the second vowel is pronounced when pn is in the middle, p and n are both pronounced When ps is at the beginning, the p is silent When es is at the end of a word, the e and s are pronounced as separate syllables

Rules for singular and plural suffixes Example Singular Plural -a Retain a and add e Pleura -ax Drop x and add ces Thorax -en Drop en and add ina Lumen -is Drop is and add es Diagnosis -ix Drop ix and add ices Appendix -ex Drops ex and add ices Apex -ma Retain ma and add ta Carcinoma -on Drop on and add a Ganglion -um Drop um and add a Bacterium -us Drop us and add i Bronchus -y Drop y and add ies Deformity

Greek vs. Latin Roots Greek: used for diseases, conditions, diagnoses and treatments Latin: used for body parts, anatomical terms

Learning Check How do you Combine the root (nephr) , meaning “kidney,” with the suffix (-itis), meaning “inflammation,” to form a word meaning “inflammation of the kidney.”? How do you combine the root (rhin), meaning “nose” with the suffix (-plasty) meaning “surgical repair or molding”, to form a word meaning surgery of the nose?

Common word roots Cyst: bladder, sac Cyt: cell Derm, dermat: skin Electr: electricity Encephal: brain Enter: intestines Erythr: red Esthesi: feeling Gastr: stomach Ger, geront: aged, elderly Gynec: woman, female Hemat, hem: blood Hepat: liver Hist: tissue Aden: gland Algesi: sensitivity to pain Arthr: joint Append, appendic: appendix Angi: vessel Arteri: artery Bi: life Bronchi: bronchus Cardi: heart Cephal: head Col: colon Cyan: blue

Common word roots Leuk: white Mast: breast My: muscle Nat: birth Opt, optic: vision Orth: straight Path: disease Ped: child Pharmac: medicine Pod: foot Psych: mind Radi: x-rays Rhin: nose Therapeut: treatment Therm: heat Thromb: clot Tonsill: tonsils Tox, toxic: poison Trache: trachea (wind pipe) Leuk: white Mast: breast My: muscle Nat: birth Nephr, ren: kidney Neur: nerve Odont, dent: tooth Onc: tumor Ophthalm: eye Or: mouth Oste: bone Ot: ear

Common Surgical Suffixes -centesis: surgical puncture -clasis, -clast: to break -desis: binding -ectomy: excision, removal -lysis: destruction, separation, loosening -pexy: fixation (of an organ) -plasty: surgical repair -rrhaphy: suture -stomy: forming an opening -tome: instrument to cut -tomy: incision -tripsy: crushing

Diagnostic suffixes -gram: record, writing -graph: instrument for recording -graphy: process of recording -meter: instrument for measuring -metry: process of measuring -ospy: viewing -pathy: disease -scope: instrument for viewing -scopy: visual examination

Pathological Suffixes -malacia: softening -megaly: enlargement -oma: tumor -paresis: weakening -penia: decrease, deficiency -phobia: fear -plegia: paralysis -osis: abnormal condition, increase -algia, -dynia: pain -cele: hernia, swelling -crine: to secrete -ectasis: dilation, expansion -edema: swelling -emesis: vomiting -emia: blood condition -itis: inflammation -lith: stone, calculus

Pathological Suffixes -rrhage, -rrhagia: bursting forth -rrhea: discharge, flow -rrhexis: rupture -sclerosis: hardening -stenosis: narrowing -toxic: poison -trophy: nourishment, development -iasis: abnormal condition produced by something specific

Other suffixes -ar, -ic, -al, -ary, -ial, -ous, -ac: pertaining to -iatrics, -iatry: medicine -logy: study of -algia, -dynia: pain -ad: toward -ago, -ia, -osis, -ism: abnormal condition -ist, -logist: specialist -iatrician: one who practices -gen, -genesis: forming, producing, origin

Common Prefixes Macro-: large Mal-: bad Medi-: middle Micro-: small Mono-, uni-: one Multi-, poly-: many Post-: after Pre-, pro-, ante-: before, in front of Primi-: first Retro-: backward, behind Super-: above, upper Heter-: other, different A-, an-: not, without Bi-, di-: two Circum-, peri-: around Dia-, trans-: across, through Dipl-, diplo-: double Dys-: bad, painful, difficult Epi-: above Endo-, intra-: in, within Homo-, homeo-: same Hypo-, sub-, infra-: under, below Hyper-: above, excessive Hemi-: one half

Writing Medical Terms Pertaining to above the heart Red blood cell Weakening of the bones Inflammation of the brain Tumor of the liver

Group Activity In groups of two, come up with at least 10 examples of words using combining words and the different suffixes Write down the word and its meaning on a piece of paper Put all group members names on the paper