1. Using a Medical Dictionary
Medical Terminology
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2. Using A Medical Dictionary
Even with the best deciphering skills, your analysis of an unfamiliar term can sometimes produce a strange-sounding definition.
If your word analysis result doesn’t seem right, consult a reliable medical dictionary.
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3. Using A Medical Dictionary
You may notice some minor differences among medical dictionary definitions.
One definition may be easier to understand than another. A combination of definitions may provide a more complete meaning.
Sometimes the term you are looking for is not in one dictionary, but found in another.
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4. Using A Medical Dictionary
If you have an idea of the correct spelling, you can find the correct page and word easily.
If you are uncertain of the spelling, concentrate on the sound of the first part of the word.
Remember that some letters sound alike.
C and S and Ps
Ph and F
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5. Using A Medical Dictionary
If you are working with a new or unfamiliar term and you don’t know the spelling, try to visualize all the different possible spellings of the term and check your dictionary for each one.
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6. Using A Medical Dictionary
A medical dictionary can be a great help even if you only need to confirm your understanding of a term’s meaning.
You may find some additional information that you were unaware of, or you may learn that your understanding of the meaning was inaccurate.
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7. Using A Medical Dictionary
If you don’t find the term you are looking for in the first medical dictionary you try, switch to a different one.
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8. Using A Medical Dictionary
The three major English medical dictionaries are:
Stedman's
Taber's
Dorland's
Many of the dictionaries have multiple versions, some targeted at health professionals and some for general use.
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9. Using A Medical Dictionary
Don’t overlook resources on the Internet. Here are a few online medical dictionaries:
medical/
There are many others to choose from.
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10. Using A Medical Dictionary
Most medical dictionaries use a standard dictionary format:
Word (pronunciation) definition(s).
Whole words, prefixes, word roots, and suffixes are all found in dictionaries.
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Summary
Today’s medical dictionaries contain more than 100,000 entries.
Different dictionaries can have slightly different definitions that may give you a more complete meaning to a term.
Medical dictionaries are a smart way to help you understand the complex language of medical terminology.
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