The Language Of
Medicine
th
11
edition
Davi-Ellen Chabner
Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011, 2007 Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
1
Chapter 1
Basic Word Structure
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Chapter Goals
• Identify basic objectives to guide your
study of the medical language.
• Divide medical words into their
component parts.
• Learn the meanings of basic combining
forms, prefixes, and suffixes of the
medical language.
• Use these combining forms, suffixes, and
prefixes to build medical words.
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3
Chapter 1
Lesson 1.1
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Objectives in Studying
The Medical Language
• Analyze words by dividing them into
component parts.
• Relate the medical terms to the structure
and function of the human body.
• Be aware of spelling and pronunciation
problems.
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QUICK QUIZ:
1. All medical terms have:
A. a combining vowel
B. two roots
C. a suffix
D. a prefix
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QUICK QUIZ: (cont’d)
2. Which element appears at the beginning
of a medical term?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Suffix
Prefix
Combining vowel
Combining form
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Word Analysis
HEMAT/O/LOGY
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Word Analysis (cont’d)
HEMAT/O/LOGY



root
 suffix
combining vowel
hemat means blood
-logy means process of study
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Word Analysis (cont’d)
Important elements:
Root: foundation of the word
Suffix: word ending
Prefix: small part attached to the beginning
of a term
Combining vowel: vowel (usually o) that
links the root to the suffix or the root to
another root
Combining form: root + combining vowel
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Word Analysis (cont’d)
ELECTR/O/CARDI/O/GRAM
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Word Analysis (cont’d)
ELECTR/O/CARDI/O/GRAM

root

  

root  suffix
combining vowels
electr means electricity
cardi means heart
-gram means record
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12
Word Analysis (cont’d)
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Word Analysis (cont’d)
gastr means stomach
-itis means inflammation
Note: Drop combining vowel when suffix starts
with a vowel (as in “itis”)
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14
Word Analysis (cont’d)
GASTR/O/ENTER/O/LOGY
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Word Analysis (cont’d)
GASTR/O/ENTER/O/LOGY

root

  

root  suffix
combining vowels
gastr means stomach
enter means intestines
-logy means process of study
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Word Analysis (cont’d)
THREE General Rules:
1. READ the meaning of medical terms
from the suffix back to the beginning
of the term and across
2. DROP the combining vowel (usually o)
before a suffix beginning with a vowel:
gastritis not “gastroitis”
3. KEEP the combining vowel between
two roots: gastroenterology not
“gastrenterology”
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17
Word Analysis (cont’d)
HYPO/GASTR/IC
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Word Analysis (cont’d)
HYPO/GASTR/IC

prefix

root

suffix
hypo- means below
gastr means stomach
-ic
means pertaining to
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19
Word Analysis (cont’d)
EPI/GASTR/IC
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Word Analysis (cont’d)
EPI/GASTR/IC



prefix root suffix
epi- means above
gastr means stomach
-ic
means pertaining to
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Combining Forms
Combining Form
Meaning
aden/o
_________
arthr/o
_________
bi/o
_________
carcin/o
_________
cardi/o
_________
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Combining Forms (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
aden/o
gland
arthr/o
joint
bi/o
life
carcin/o
cancerous, cancer
cardi/o
heart
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QUICK QUIZ:
3. Which term means inflammation
of the gland?
A. Arthritis
B. Adenitis
C. Adenoma
D. Cephalic
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Combining Forms
Combining Form
Meaning
cephal/o
_________
cerebr/o
_________
cis/o
_________
crin/o
_________
cyst/o
_________
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Combining Forms (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
cephal/o
head
cerebr/o
cerebrum
cis/o
to cut
crin/o
to secrete
cyst/o
urinary bladder
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Combining Forms (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
cyt/o
_________
derm/o or dermat/o
_________
electr/o
_________
encephal/o
_________
enter/o
_________
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Combining Forms (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
cyt/o
cell
derm/o or dermat/o
skin
electr/o
electricity
encephal/o
brain
enter/o
intestines
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QUICK QUIZ:
4. Which term means study of cells?
A. Cystoscopy
B. Cystitis
C. Cytology
D. Hematology
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Combining Forms
Combining Form
Meaning
erythr/o
_________
gastr/o
_________
glyc/o
_________
gnos/o
_________
gynec/o
_________
hemat/o or hem/o
_________
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Combining Forms (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
erythr/o
red
gastr/o
stomach
glyc/o
sugar
gnos/o
knowledge
gynec/o
woman, female
hemat/o or hem/o
blood
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Combining Forms (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
hepat/o
_________
iatr/o
_________
leuk/o
_________
log/o
_________
nephr/o
_________
neur/o
_________
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Combining Forms (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
hepat/o
liver
iatr/o
treatment, physician
leuk/o
white
log/o
study of
nephr/o
kidney
neur/o
nerve
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Combining Forms (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
onc/o
_________
ophthalm/o
_________
oste/o
_________
path/o
_________
ped/o
_________
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Combining Forms (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
onc/o
tumor
ophthalm/o
eye
oste/o
bone
path/o
disease
ped/o
child
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Combining Forms (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
psych/o
_________
radi/o
_________
ren/o
_________
rhin/o
_________
sarc/o
_________
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Combining Forms (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
psych/o
mind
radi/o
x-rays
ren/o
kidney
rhin/o
nose
sarc/o
flesh
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Combining Forms (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
sect/o
_________
thromb/o
_________
ur/o
_________
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Combining Forms (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
sect/o
to cut
thromb/o
clot, clotting
ur/o
urinary tract, urine
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Suffixes
Combining Form
Meaning
-ac
_________
-al
_________
-algia
_________
-cyte
_________
-ectomy
_________
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Suffixes (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
-ac
pertaining to
-al
pertaining to
-algia
pain
-cyte
cell
-ectomy
excision, removal
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QUICK QUIZ:
5. Which suffix means to “cut out” or remove?
A. -ectomy
B. -scopy
C. -itis
D.-opsy
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Suffixes
Combining Form
Meaning
-emia
_________
-genic
_________
-globin
_________
-gram
_________
-ic, ical
_________
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Suffixes (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
-emia
blood condition
-genic
produced by or in
-globin
protein
-gram
record
-ic, ical
pertaining to
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Suffixes (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
-ion
_________
-ist
_________
-itis
_________
-logy
_________
-oma
_________
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Suffixes (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
-ion
process
-ist
specialist
-itis
inflammation
-logy
process of study
-oma
tumor, mass, swelling
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Suffixes (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
-opsy
_________
-osis
_________
-pathy
_________
-scope
_________
-scopy
_________
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Suffixes (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
-opsy
process of viewing
-osis
condition, usually abnormal
-pathy
disease condition
-scope
instrument to visually examine
-scopy
process of visually examining
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Suffixes (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
-sis
_________
-tomy
_________
-y
_________
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Suffixes (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
-sis
state of; condition
-tomy
process of cutting, incision
-y
process, condition
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Prefixes
Combining Form
Meaning
a-, an-
_________
aut-, auto
_________
dia-
_________
end-, endo-
_________
epi-
_________
ex-, exo-
_________
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Prefixes (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
a-, an-
no, not, without
aut-, auto-
self, own
dia-
complete, through
endo-
within
epi-
above, upon
ex-, exo-
out, outside of, outward
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Prefixes (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
hyper-
_________
hypo-
_________
in-
_________
peri-
_________
pro-
_________
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Prefixes (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
hyper-
excessive, above, more than normal
hypo-
deficient, below, under, less than normal
in-
into, in
peri-
surrounding, around
pro-
before, forward
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Prefixes (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
re-
_________
retro-
_________
sub-
_________
trans-
_________
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Prefixes (cont’d)
Combining Form
Meaning
re-
back, backward, again
retro-
behind
sub-
below, under
trans-
across, through
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Pronunciation of Terms
• When ¯ is above a vowel, the sound is long.
For example:
ā as in āpe
ō as in ōpen
• When ˘ is above a vowel, the sound is short.
For example:
ă as in ăpple
ŏ as in pŏt
• The capitalized syllable is accented.
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Pronunciation of Terms
(cont’d)
Examples:
adenitis
ăd-ĕ-Nī-tĭs
biology
bī-OL-ō-jē
cephalic
se-FĂL-ĭk
iatrogenic
i-ăt-rō-JĔN-ĭk
resection
rē-SĔK-shŭn
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