Medical Terms Medical Terminology

Utah State Office of Education Introduction: Medical terminology is a language in itself. Learning medical terminology is like learning a new language. Once you understand basic rules as to how medical terms are formed, it is like piecing together a puzzle. Utah State Office of Education

Utah State Office of Education Introducion (cont) You will begin by building a vocabulary of word parts. Learning the meanings of these basic medical word parts will help you master the language of medicine. Memorizing these parts is essential to understanding medical terms. Utah State Office of Education

Utah State Office of Education Introduction Most medical terms follow the general rules and containg A word root – basic meaning for the word and/or Prefixes - placed at the beginning of the word and/or Suffixes – placed at the end of a word which modify the meaning of the word root, and sometimes A combining vowel – connect other word parts. The parts combine to form a complete term that conveys a specific idea. There are always exceptions to every rule, however. Utah State Office of Education

Utah State Office of Education Medical Terminology There are three areas you must concentrate on when you learn a new word element or medical term: Pronunciation Spelling Meaning Each of these are essential to the correct use and understanding of medical terminology. Utah State Office of Education

Utah State Office of Education Word Roots Each body system has a set of word roots. For example, many terms used to describe the cardiovascular system (the heart and blood vessels) derive from the roots cardi- (heart) and angi- (vessel). Many terms relating to the respiratory system (the lungs and airways) use the roots pneum- (air or lung), pulmon- (lung), or bronch- (airway). Many words related to the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and nerves) are formed from roots neur- (nerve) or cerebr- (brain). Utah State Office of Education

Utah State Office of Education Word Roots Sometimes two or three roots have the same meaning. You will use one root word in some contexts, and a different root word in other contexts. Why do we have more than one root with the same meaning? Because medical terminology grew in several places at once. Utah State Office of Education

Utah State Office of Education Word Roots Some roots are associated with body systems Others can be applied to any body system. Some may be used to describe something (adjectives or adverbs) or name something (nouns). Utah State Office of Education

Utah State Office of Education Combining Forms A combining vowel is often used to join a word root and a suffix. The most commonly used combining vowel is “o”. The second most common is “i”. When combining forms are shown in medical terminology lists, there is usually a slash separating the root and the connecting vowel. For example, carcin/o, abdomin/o, cardi/o. Utah State Office of Education

Combining Forms (cont) Connecting forms make medical terms easier to spell and pronounce. They can also connect a root with another root when more than one root is used to form a term. For example: Musculoskeletal. Utah State Office of Education

Utah State Office of Education Prefixes A prefix is a word part that comes before the root or combining form and usually begins the term. Prefixes often give an indication of direction, location, number of parts, time, or orientation. Not every medical term will have a prefix. There can be several prefixes associated with one meaning. A few prefixes have more than one related meaning. Utah State Office of Education

Utah State Office of Education Suffixes The language of medicine uses a large number of suffixes (at the end of words). Every medical term must have a suffix. Many medical terms are formed by adding a suffix to a root or combining form. Pay particular attention to the spelling of suffixes since changing a single letter may change the meaning. For example, -logy and –logist. Utah State Office of Education

Utah State Office of Education Prefix + Suffix Medical terms can also be built by combining a prefix directly with a suffix (without a word root). For example, dystrophy (DIS troh fee), which means abnormal development, is built from the prefix dys- (meaning abnormal or bad) and the suffix –trophy (meaning development or growth). Utah State Office of Education

Utah State Office of Education Word Building Word building consists of putting together several word elements to form a variety of terms. Remember to break down every word into its parts (prefix, word root, combining vowel, and suffix) when you are learning medical terminology. Figure out how the word is formed from its parts. Utah State Office of Education

Utah State Office of Education Med Term Tip To gain a quick understanding of a term, read the term from the end of the word (or the suffix) back to the beginning (the prefix), and then pick up the word root. For example, pericarditis reads inflammation (-itis) surrounding (peri-) the heart (cardi/o)  this gives us the meaning – “inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart”. Utah State Office of Education

Utah State Office of Education Pronunciation You will hear different pronunciations for the same terms depending on where people were born or educated. As long as it is clear which term people are discussing, differing pronunciations are acceptable. If you have any doubt about the term being discussed, ask for the term to be spelled. Utah State Office of Education

Utah State Office of Education Pronunciation Hints: Ch sounds like k. Chyme, Cholecystectomy, Chronic. Ps sounds like s. Psychiatric, Psychology, Psoriasis. Pn sounds like n. Pneumonia, Pneumatic. C sounds like a soft s when it comes before e, i, and y. Cycle, Cytoplasm, Centrifuge. Utah State Office of Education

Utah State Office of Education Pronunciation G sounds like j when it comes before e, i, and y. Giant, Gestation, Generic, Gyration. I sounds like “eye” when added to the end of a word to form a plural. Glomeruli, Villi, Alveoli, Bacilli. Utah State Office of Education

Utah State Office of Education Forming Plurals In medical terminology, plural words can be confusing. Some plural terms are formed based on Greek and Latin rules, while others are formed using English language rules. Unfortunately, the rules are not applied consistently. Whenever you are uncertain of the correct plural form of a term, consult a medical dictionary. Utah State Office of Education

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