Introduction

Basics Most medical words are comprised of 3 sections Root Prefix Suffix To define a medical word you must: Divide the word into its sections Analyze each section

1. Prefix A prefix is the word Element placed at beginning of word root that changes its meaning Normally deals with size, number, time, or direction Medical 1) “Poly” Many- “Polyuria” Medical 2) “Hyper” High, above, excessive- “hyperthyroidism” Medical 3) “Sub” Below, under- “sublingual gland”

2. Word Root The word root is the heart or meaning of a word Medical speech “gastro”=stomach (gastritis, gastroma, gastric) “osteo”=bone (“osteoma” “osteomegaly”)

3. Suffix The suffix is the word element at end of word after the root that changes the meaning of the word Usually describes a pathology (i.e. disease) Medical English “itis” Inflammation Medical “ectomy” Removal Medical “oma” Tumor/Cancer Medical “ia” Condition

Origins of Medical Words The Ancient Greeks and Romans were the first to dissect and name the parts of the body. The Romans spoke Latin. After the fall of Rome, Latin continued to be the language of the educated until the modern time. For this reason, much of our medical terms originate from Latin. General Rule Most diseases come from the Greek language: “pneumonia,” “encephalitis,” “hepatitis,” “ Most anatomy comes from the Latin language “Vertebrae,” “Oral,” “Abdomen,” “Larynx”

Roots (Most roots have an “o” to connect it to suffix, but not always Liver “Hepato” Heart “Cardio” Brain “Encephalo” Bone “Osteo” Mouth “Oro” Ear “Oto” Throat “Pharyngo” Vein “Phlebo” Kidney “Nephro” “Reno” Blood “Hemo” Skull “Cranio” Uterus/Womb “Hysto” Ovaries “Oophoro” Bladder “Cysto” Gall bladder “Cholecysto” Fallopian Tubes “Salpingo” Rib “Costo” Stomach “Gastro” Chest “Thoraco” Lung “Pulmano” “Pneumo” Intestines “Entero” Arm “Brachio” Armpit “Axillo” Eye “Ophthalmo” Muscle “Myo” Nerves “Neuro” Skin “Dermo” Nose “Rhino” Breast “Mast” Testicles “Orchido” Joint “Arthro” Penis “Phallo” Spinal Cord “Myelo” Mind “Psycho” Urine “Uro”

Suffixes “itis”-inflammation “ectomy”-removal “plasty”-surgical repair tonsillitis “ectomy”-removal tonsillectomy “plasty”-surgical repair rhinoplasty “logy”- study of dermatology “scopy”- study involving camera bronchoscopy “emia” – blood condition Leukemia, uremia “ia”- medical condition uremia “megaly” – enlargening cardiomegaly “oma”- cancerous tumor hepatoma “pathy”- disease encephalopathy “ “plegia” – paralysis Quadriplegia “rrhea” – discharge/flow diarrhea “algia” and “dynia”- pain

Common Prefixes “hypo”-below, deficient “hyper”- too much, excessive “pre”- before “post”- after “infra” –under, below “supra” above “sub” –under below “inter”- between “retro” – behind, backward “a”- no, lack of “bi” or “di”- two “hemi”-half “macro”- large “micro” – small “poly”- many “endo”- inside “peri” –outside, around “circum”- around “dys”- abnormal/diseased “brady”- too slow “tachy” -too fast

Medical Abbreviations Used to make patient charting easier and shorter Originate from Latin

Common Abbreviations q.d. – every day q.h.- every hour b.i.d.- 2x/day t.i.d.- 3x/day q.i.d- 4X/DAY n.p.o.-nothing by mouth s- without c- with fx –fracture sx- surgery hx- history dx- diagnosis

Vocabulary for Test Sycophant (n) – brown-noser, kiss-ass Ambivalent (adj) {(ambivalence (n)} –to have simultaneously conflicting feelings about something Touche- a word stated as a response to when someone makes a good point. Precocious (adj)- {precocity (n)}to be mature beyond your years Coquette (n)- a flirt Euphemism-(n)- a politically-correct term for an old term considered offensive (e.g. “African-American” “Sanitation Engineer” “Little Person”

Group Activity Break into pairs Begin writing flashcards (1 or 2 terms per card)

Group Assignment Groups no bigger than 4 persons Put a line b/t prefix, root, and suffix. Must have entire word correct for full credit Group with most correct answers will receive 5 extra points on Friday quiz. You are competing with other groups, so SHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!