Harper Final Review
Combining form
The basis of a medical term
A word root and a combining
vowel
Combining Form consists of
Prefix
Precedes the combining form
Suffix
Modifies or clarifies the combining
form
painful; difficult; abnormal
Dys-
Suffering/disease
-pathy
Fast
Tachy-
Three
Tri-
Against
Anti-
Within/innermost
Endo-
Before/in front of
Pre-
Normal/good
Eu-
Two
Di
Bi-
One/single
MonoUni-
Four
QuadTetra-
Bad/inadequate
Mal-
Away from/without
A-
Not/without
An-
process of using instrument for
examination
-scopy
Enlargement
-megaly
Surgical excision/removal
-ectomy
Process of cutting making an
incision
-tomy
Create an opening/incision
-stomy
opening
Stoma
Inflammation or infection
-itis
Divides the body front/ventral to
back/dorsal
Coronal plane
Divides the body right to left
Saggital plane
Divides the body horizontally
top/cephalad to bottom/caudad
Transverse
Frontal
Front/o
Lying of ventral side/face down
Prone
Lying on dorsal side/face up
Supine
Away from midline/toward the side
Lateral
Toward the midline/away from the
side
Medial
Closer to the main body
Proximal
Further from the main body
Distal
Posterior/back side
Dorsal
Anterior/front side
Ventral
Tail (Tail Bone)
Caud/o
Above/upper
Superior
Below/lower
Inferior
Right
Hypochondriac
Right Lumbar
Right inguinal
Epigastric
Umbilical
Hypogastric
Left
Hypochondriac
Left Lumbar
Left inguinal
Expected result of a condition
Prognosis
Determination based on
knowledge about the cause of
the patient’s signs and
symptoms
Diagnosis
Cause of Disease
Eti/o
physician - doctor - treatment
iatro/o
Infection acquired in a hospital or
healthcare setting
Nosocomial
Unknown or individual
idi/o
open
Patent
Present at birth
Congenit/o
Environmental
Disease caused by environmental
factors
Caused inadvertently by a
physician or surgeon or by
medical treatment or diagnostic
procedure
iatrogenic
Signs
Objective information/data gained
during a physical exam or history
Symptoms
Subjective information/data gained
during a physical exam or history
Relapse
When a person is affected again by
a condition that affected him, or
her, in the past
Remission
The state of absence of disease
activity in patients known to have
incurable chronic illness
After; subsequent to; transition;
change
Meta
Blood Vessel
Angi/o
Producing/ forming
Genesis
Spinal cord or Bone marrow
Myel/o
Upper Respiratory Infection
URI
Ethyl Alcohol
ETOH
Electro Encephlagram
EEG
condition of staying in one
place; standing still
Stasis
Genetic Inheritance
Heredit/o
Gestation #
Pregnancy #
Abortion #
GPA
Magnetic Resonance Imagery
MRI
Transient Ischemic Attack
TIA
CT Scan
Multiple X-rays used to create a 3D
image
PET Scan
Positrons used to determine areas
of metabolism
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Lou Gehrig’s
ALS
Multiple Sclerosis
MS
Symptoms
Sx
Treatment
Tx
Patient
Or
Physical Therapy
PT
Nothing by Mouth
(Nil Per Os)
NPO
Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease
GERD
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
COPD
Restless leg Syndrome
RLS
Integumentary
System which includes skin, hair,
and nails
Eczema
Scaly crusty skin due to an
overproduction of oil
Albinism
Lack of pigment in skin, hair, and
eyes
Xeroderma
Dry Skin
Anhidrosis
Absence of sweat glands
Vitiligo
Depigmentation interspersed with
normal skin
Anaphylaxsis
Severe systemic allergic reaction
Polydactyly
Extra Finger(s)
Syndactyly
Webbed fingers or toes
Comedo
Blackhead Acne
Bulla
Blisters from a burn
Keloid
Abnormally large scar
Eschar
Thick crusty necrotic tissue from a
3rd degree burn
Itching
Prurit/o
Skin
Derm/o
Old or aging
(geriatric)
Presby/o
Gastroenterology
Specialty dealing with the
Stomach and intestines
Lymph
Lymph/o
Liver
Hepat/o
Spleen
Splen/o
Vomiting
Emet/o
Stomach
Gastr/o
Intestine
Enter/o
Pustules
Whitehead Acne
pertaining to the pylorus, the
opening between the stomach and
duodenum.
Pylor/o
Stoma
A surgically created opening
Bile Duct
Cholangi/o
Gallbladder
Cholecyst/o
Tooth
Odont/o
Eating; Swallowing
Phag/o
Digestion
Peps/o
Pept/o
To Vomit
Emet/o
To send out
Emiss/o
Imagined perception
Hallucin/o
appetite
Orex/o
Bulimia
Pattern of binge and purge
Tinnitus
Buzzing, Hissing, Ringing in the
ears
Tetany
Muscle spasm, sustained
contraction
Tendon
Tendon/o
Process of development
-trophy
Movement
Kinesi/o
Bruising
Contus/o
Polydactyly
Extra Finger(s)
Joint
Arthr/o
Straighten
Orth/o
Muscle
My/o
Crepitus
Grinding sound from bones
rubbing together
Connective Tissue
Sarc/o
Glucose
Glycos/o
Urine
Ur/o
Urin/0
Thirst
Dips/o
Nose bleed
Epistaxis
Besides; apart from; two parts
of a pair; abnormal
Para-
Cataract
Clouding of the eye lens
Conjunctivitis
Infection of the conjunctiva
(Pink Eye)
Aphasia
difficulty in producing or
comprehending spoken or written
language
Dysphasia
Difficulty in written or verbal
communication
Meningitis
Bacterial or viral infection of the
meninges surrounding the brain
and spinal cord
Syncope
Fainting
Subdural Hematoma
Bleeding under the dura layer of
the brain.
Cerebral Palsy
Neurological disorder caused by a
lack of oxygen at the time of birth
Nerve
Neur/o
Head
Cephal/o
fiber
Fibr/o
Cardio Vascular
CV
Water/fluid
Hydro
Sensation/feeling
Esthes/o
Faster than normal
Tachy
Blood
Hema/o
Condition of the blood;
substance in the blood
emia
Condition; state; thing
-ia
Above/beyond/excessive
Hyper
Coronary Artery Bypass Graft
CABG
Blue
Cyan/o
Abnormal condition of multiple
tumors or masses
omatosis
Breathing
Pne/o
imperfect or incomplete
development.
Atel/o
Deviation of one or both eyes
Strabismus
Dilation or widening
-ectasis
Repairing the lip
Chelioplasty
Pulse oximetery
Measuring oxygen levels in the
blood with a device on the finger
Auscultation
Listening to the sounds of the body
The chest
Steth/o
Breath
Spir/o
Breath- Inhalation/Exhalation
Hal/o
Myocardial Infarction
MI
On/upon/top/over
Epi
Around/about
Peri-
Aneurysm
Weakened or stretched/bubbling
portion of an artery
embol/o-
Arterial clot or occluding plug from
an Embolus (intravascular mass
carried by circulation)
tension
Blood pressure within an artery
Hard or Sclera of eye
sclero
arteriosclerotic vascular disease
ASVD
Process; disease from a specific
cause
ism
Congestive Heart Failure
(the heart can no longer pump enough
blood to the rest of the body)
CHF
vein
Ven/o
Artery
Arteri/o
Blood Vessels
Vas/o
Vein
Phleb/o
Lung
Pulmon/o
Coal
anthrac/o-
Incomplete
atel/o-
bronchus
bronch/o-
procedure to puncture
-centesis
Promotes the formation of urine
Diuretic
Rib
cost/o-
reversal of; without
de-
condition of dilation
-ectasis
condition
-ema
glottis (of the larynx)
glott/o-
Tongue
Gloss/o
intentionally causing harm;
cancer
malign/o-
Straighten
orth/o-
abnormal condition; process
-osis
oxygen; quick
ox/y-
Tumor; mass
oma
all
pan-
parenchyma (functional cells of
an organ)
parenchym/o-
wall of a cavity
pariet/o-
chest
pector/o-
pharynx (throat)
pharyng/o-
attraction to; fondness for
phil/o-
condition of coughing up
-ptysis
pus
py/opurul/o-
scroll-like structure; turbinate
turbin/o-
Virus
vir/o-
Atrial Septal Defect
ASD
Blood Pressure
BP
Electrocardiography
ECG/EKG
Mind
Ment/a
Pysch/o
Breast
Mamm/o
Disease within
Infecto
Breast cancer Gene
BRCA
Emergency Room; Estrogen
Receptor
ER
Cystic Fibrosis
CF
Cerebrospinal Fluid
CSF
Beats Per Minute
BPM
Physicians Assistant;
PosteroAnterior
PA
Physical Exam
PE
Speech
Phas/o
Condition of paralysis
-plegia
Flow or Discharge
rrhea
Rectum
Rect/o
Moving ; stirring up
Emot/o
Anti Diuretic hormone
ADH
Hyposecretion of Insulin
Diabetes Melitius
Hyposecretion of ADH
Diabetes Insipidus
Swallowing
Degluti/o
Shaft of bone
Diaphys/o
Uterus
Hyster/o
Hair
Hirsut/o
Instrument used to record
-graph
Process of recording
-graphy
Across; through
Trans
One half
Hemi
Medical Treatment
iatry