Medical Terminology
Exam 2 Review
Skeletal System
Know the following terms:
1. Acro – extremities
2. Ankly – crooked, bent, fused together
3. Arthro – joint
4. Brachi – arm
5. Bursa – a leather sac
6. Carp – wrist
7. Cerv/ic – neck
8. Chiro – hand
9. Chondro – cartilage
10. Costo – rib
11. Cranio – skull, head
12. Kypho – hump (kyphosis)
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
Lordo – bending (lordosis)
Lumbo – lumbar region, loin
Myelo – spinal cord, bone marrow
Orthro – straight
Osteo – bone
Pod, ped, pedi – foot
Sacro – sacral region
Scoli – crooked (scoliosis)
Spondyl – vertebra
Synovio – lubricating fluid of joints
Tars – ankle
24. How many bones in the human skeleton? 206
25. What are the functions of bones?
a. Support
b. Protection
c. Movement
d. Mineral storage
e. Blood cell formation
26. What is the difference between tendons and ligaments? Tendon – attach muscle to bone;
Ligament – attach bone to bone
27. Differentiate between osteoblasts, osteocytes, and osteoclasts.
a. Osteoblast – bone building, bone repairing cells in the periosteum
b. Osteocytes – mature bone cells within the bone matrix
c. Osteoclast – causes reabsorption of bone
28. Define the following:
a. Periosteum – dense, white fibrous covering around the surface of the bone. Essential for
bone growth, repair, and nutrition. Serves as a point of attachment for ligaments and
tendons
b. Diaphysis – shaft or long, main portion of long bone
c.
d.
e.
f.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
Epiphysis – expanded ends of long bone
Red marrow – blood cell forming tissue in long bones
Yellow marrow – fat storing tissues in long bones
Articular cartilage – thin layer of cartilage covering the epiphysis in order to reduce
friction during movement of the joint
g. Endosteum – thin layer of squamous cells lining medullary cavity
h. Long bone – Longer than it is wide (femur)
i. Short bone – cube-shaped (tarsals)
j. Flat bone – Generally thin and flat, provides protection and surface area for muscle
attachment (scapula)
k. Irregular bone – variously shaped bones (vertebrae)
l. Foramen – opening or hole through bone serving as a passageway for nerves or blood
vessels
m. Meatus – tube-like passage way in a bone
n. Sinus – the space within a bone, lined with a mucous membrane
o. Fossa – fairly deep pit or depression
p. Condyle – large rounded prominence that articulates with another bone
q. Tuberosity – elevated, rounded usually roughened area on a bone; generally bigger than
a tubercle and is used for muscle attachment
r. Trochanter – very large, blunt process used for muscle attachment
s. Tubercle – small rounded process used for muscle attachment
t. Process – any projection from a surface of a bone used in muscle attachment
u. Suture – immovable joint (skull bones)
v. Fontanel – membrane-filled spaces between cranial bones (baby’s soft spot)
What happens at the epiphyseal line of long bones? growth
What are the purposes of bone markings?
a. Join one bone to another
b. Provide surface for attachment of muscles
c. Create an opening for the passage of blood vessels and nerves
d. Used as landmarks
The hyoid bone is the only bone that has not attachment to another bone
How many of each of the following vertebrae?
a. Cervical - 7
b. Thoracic – 12
c. Lumbar – 5
d. Sacral – 5 (fused)
e. Coccyx – 3-4 (fused)
What are the atlas and axis?
a. Atlas – C1 (first cervical vertebrae) – supports the head
b. Axis – C2 (2nd vertebrae) – allows for rotation of the head
What is the appendicular skeleton? Bones of the extremities and pelvic girdle
What is the axial skeleton? Bones of the skull, thorax, and vertebral column
36. Differentiate between:
a. Arthritis – inflammation of bones at the joints
b. Bursitis – inflammation of the bursa (fluid filled sac or cavity)
c. Osteoporosis – bones become softer and more brittle and more liable to fracture
because of mineral loss
d. Scoliosis – curve of the spine
e. Spina bifida – congenital defect in which the vertebrae fail to unite at the midline
Muscular System
37. Know the following terms:
a. Myo – muscle
b. Oblique – angled
c. Fascio – fascia
d. –lysis – breakdown
e. Teno – tendon
f. –plegia – paralysis
g. Kinesio- movement
h. Rectus – straight
i. Tono – tone
j. Transverse – crosswise
k. Sphincter – ring-like
l. –cele – swelling, hernia, tumor
m. –trophy – growth or development
n. Fibro – fiber, connective tissue
o. Contractility – the ability to shorten forcibly
p. Extensibility – the ability to be stretched
q. Elasticity – the ability to resume resting length
r. Excitability – the ability to receive and respond to a stimulus
s. Automaticity – the ability of a muscle to contract without a nerve supply
38. What are the five properties of muscle tissue?
a. Contractility
b. Extensibility
c. Elasticity
d. Excitability
e. Automaticity
39. What are the functions of the muscular system?
a. Movement
b. Posture maintenance
c. Joint stimulation
d. Heat generation
e. Protection of some internal organs
40. What are the three types of muscle tissue and where are they found? Which muscle tissues are
voluntary and which are involuntary? Which are striated?
a. Cardiac – found in heart – striated – involuntary
b. Visceral (smooth) – internal organs – nonstriated – involuntary
c. Skeletal – attaches to bones – voluntary – striated
41. Differentiate the following terms:
a. Tendon – strong, tough connective tissue cord; attaches muscle to bone
b. Fascia – tough, sheet-like membrane that covers and protects tissues
c. Aponeurosis – broad, flat sheet of connective tissue
d. Raphe – seam of fibrous tissue
42. Define the following:
a. Muscle fatigue – Muscle is unable to contract because of a deficit of ATP (energy)
b. Spasm – sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle
c. Clonic – spasm alternating with relaxation
d. Tonic – sustained
e. Tetany – result of low calcium – loss of sensation, muscle twitching, convulsions
43. Which muscle is slower to contract? Visceral
44. Which muscle fiber has more mitochondria because it needs a constant supply of oxygen?
Cardiac
45. Which muscle fiber has autorhythmicity? Cardiac
46. Differentiate between origin and insertion.
a. Origin – muscle attachment at the end that does not move – usually proximal to
insertion
b. Insertion – muscle attachment to the end that moves when the muscle contracts
47. Define the following:
a. Prime mover – Initiates movement, main mover
b. Antagonist – opposes movement
c. Synergist – assists in movement
d. Fixator – stabilizes the bone or muscle origin
48. The following is true of muscle tone:
a. Steady partial contraction is present at all times
b. State of tension when awake
c. Does not produce active movement
49. What is a contraction? Shortening of muscle due to sliding of myosin and actin filaments. All or
nothing reaction.
50. Know the following directional terms:
a. Flexion – decreasing the angle of a joint
b. Extension – increasing the angle of a joint
c. Hyperextension – increases the angle beyond anatomical position
d. Dorsiflexion – move the sole of the foot upward (pointing toe to head)
e. Plantar flexion – move the sole of the foot downward (point toes down)
f. Adduction – moving a body part to midline
g. Abduction – moving a body part away from midline
h. Circumduction – the distal end of an extremity inscribes a circle while the shaft inscribes
a cone (Ex: arms outstretched, move arm in big circles – see slides for picture)
i. Rotation – revolving a body part along a longitudinal axis
j. Supination – turn the palm upward (hold a bowl of soup)
k. Pronation – turn the palm downward
51. Know the following nomenclature for muscles:
a. Bi, tri, quad – 2, 3, 4
b. Externus – exterior
c. Gracilis – slender
d. Latissimus – wide
e. Longissimus – long
f. Longus – long
g. Medius – interMEDiate 
h. Orbicularis – around
i. Quadratus – square (FOUR sides)
j. Rectus – straight
k. Rhomboideus – diamond-shaped
l. Scalenes – irregular triangle
m. Teres – round
n. Transverse – crosswise
o. Vastus – great (vast)