Medical Terminology
Anemia: inadequate tissue of oxygenation; a problem of not having enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin
to carry oxygen to the body’s tissues.
Anuria: a urinary output of less than 100ml/day.
Anxiety: a feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness.
Aphasia: a language disorder.
Apnea: an absence of spontaneous respiration; temporary cessation of breathing, especially during sleep.
Appendicitis: an inflammation of the vermiform appendix.
Arthritis: inflammation of the joints.
Axilla: armpit.
Bradycardia: a heart rate less than 60 beats a minute
Bradypnea: an abnormally low rate of breathing.
Bronchitis: acute or chronic inflammation of the mucous membranes of the tracheobronchial tree.
Cerebrovascular accident (CVA): stroke or a brain attack, an interruption in the flow of blood to the cells in the
brain.
Cerumen: ear waxy; a yellowish or brownish waxy secretion produced by vestigial apocrine sweat glands in the
external ear canal.
Colitis: an inflammatory condition of the large intestine.
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD): can lead to a myocardial infarction.
Cyanosis: bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes causes by lack of oxygen in the blood.
Dysphagia: a physical difficulty swallowing.
Dysphasia: an inability to speak or understand words because of a brain lesion.
Dyspnea: difficult or labored breathing.
Dysuria: pain or discomfort when you urinate.
ECG and EKG both mean electrocardiograms.
Edema: swelling.
Emesis: Vomit, expel the contents of the stomach through the esophagus and out of the mouth.
Epistaxis: nosebleed.
Fatigue: a statement of exhaustion or a loss of strength or endurance.
Fistula: an abnormal connection between an organ, vessel, or intestine and another organ, vessel or intestine, or the
skin.
Flank: the posterior portion of the body between the ribs and the ilium.
Flatulence (Flatus): passing of gas out the rectum.
Goiter: any visible enlargement or the thyroid gland.
Gout: a form of acute arthritis that causes severe pain and swelling, most commonly effects the big toe.
Hematemesis: the vomiting of blood, indicating rapid upper GI bleeding.
Hematuria: presence of blood in the urine.
Hemoptysis: coughing or spitting up blood from the respiratory tract/ bloody sputum.
Hemorrhage: loss of blood from a damaged blood vessel.
Hemorrhoids: swollen veins in the lower rectum.
Hernia: an abnormal connection between an organ, vessel, or intestine and another organ, vessel or intestine, or the
skin.
Hypoglycemia: a low level of glucose in the blood.
Incision: a cut produced surgically by a sharp instrument that creates an opening into an organ or space in the body.
Intermittent claudication: a pain in the leg that a person experiences when walking or exercising that is relieved
with rest.
Jaundice: a condition produced when excess amounts of bilirubin circulating in the blood stream dissolve in the
subcutaneous fat, causing a yellowish appearance of the skin and the whites of the eyes.
Kegel exercises are used to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.
Leg ulcer: a long-lasting (chronic) skin sore that takes more than 2 weeks to heal.
Lesions: areas of abnormal tissue or tissue damage, such as wounds, sores and ulcers.
Malaise: a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or lack of well-being.
Myocardial infarction: heart attack; causes by decreases or complete cessation of blood flow to a portion of the
myocardium.
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Necrosis: localized tissue death that occurs in groups of cells in response to disease or injury.
Nocturia: a condition that means you often awaken at night to urinate.
Oliguria: a diminished capacity to form and pass urine, less than 500 ml in every 24 hours.
Orthopnea: shortness of breath when lying down that is relieved by sleeping propped up with pillows or sitting
“upright”.
Osteoarthritis: a form of arthritis in which one or many joints undergo degenerative changes.
Pallor: pale or white.
Palpation: a method of feeling with the fingers or hands during a physical examination.
Palpitations: a sensation of rapid or irregular beating of the heart (described as a thudding sensation, a fluttering, or
a throbbing).
Paresthesia: often described as a sensation such as numbness, tingling or a “pins and needles” feeling.
Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea: sensation of shortness of breath that awakens patients, is usually relieved if sit
upright.
Petechiae: numerous tiny purple or red spots appearing on the skin.
Polydipsia: excess thirst.
Polyphagia: excess hunger.
Polyuria: excessive, and often dilute, amount of urine, urination.
Precordial pain: pain in the chest wall, over the heart.
Prefix “a/an-”: without.
Prefix “anti-”: against.
Prefix “brady-”: slow.
Prefix “dys-”: painful, or difficult.
Prefix “ortho-”: straight, or upright.
Prefix “poly-”: many.
Prefix “tachy-”: fast, rapid.
Pruritis: medical term for itching.
Psoriasis: a chronic skin disorder characterized by circumscribed red patches covered by thick, dry, silvery adherent
scales.
Psoriatic arthritis: a form of arthritis associated with psoriatic lesions of the skin and nails, particularly at the distal
interphalangeal joints of the fingers and toes.
Purulent: producing or containing pus (yellow or yellow green body fluid).
Pus: pale yellow to yellow green fluid.
Pyrosis: a burning sensation in the chest due to reflux of stomach contents in the esophagus, also called “heartburn”.
Retrosternal pain: pain behind the breastbone.
Retrosternal: behind the sternum.
Rheumatoid arthritis: a chronic, inflammatory, destructive, and sometimes deforming collagen disease.
Root word “-derm”: pertaining to the skin.
Root word “-hem/cardio”: pertaining to the blood circulation.
Root word “-pnea”: pertaining to the respiration/ breathing.
Root word “-ur”: pertaining to urination.
Sacral: Sacrum; bone at the dorsal part of the pelvis.
Sanguineous: fresh bleeding.
Scabs: a dry, rough protective crust that forms over a cut or wound during healing.
Suprapubic: pertaining to a location above the symphysis pubis.
Syncope: fainting; temporary loss of consciousness.
Tachycardia: a heart rate over 100 beats a minute.
Tachypnea: an abnormally rapid rate of breathing.
Thrombophlebitis: inflammatory process that causes a blood clot to form and block one or more veins, usually in
the legs.
Tinnitus: ringing in the ears.
Ulcer: a circumscribed, craterlike lesion of the skin or mucous membrane resulting from necrosis that accompanies
some inflammatory, infectious, or malignant processes. An ulcer may be shallow, involving only the epidermis or
deep.
Unsteadiness: loss balance while walking.
Urinary incontinence: patient has a loss of bladder control.
Vertigo: rotational spinning.
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