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Glossary and
Pronunciation
Guide
Medical Administration
Training
au
Written by Jennifer Atkins
www.mediweb.com.au
© Jennifer Atkins
Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
Page | 1
Copyright
Copyright © Jennifer Atkins 2013.1
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This training manual is copyright under the Copyright Act 1968.
Any third party copyright material included in this publication is attributed.
Jennifer Atkins asserts her ownership of the Intellectual Property contained in this
training manual. All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, utilised,
distributed, or translated into any other language in whole or in part, in any form or
by any means, by any other party whether it be electronic, manual, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise.
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Copying without authorisation is illegal.
Disclaimer
Every attempt has been made to ensure this workbook is free from errors or
omissions. However, as an educational resource, all effort should be made to
ensure you seek professional advice before relying on any statement or fact
contained herein. Material in this workbook is current at the time of writing.
Jennifer Atkins Medical Administration Training
www.mediweb.com.au
au
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Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
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Table of Contents
RESOURCES: HELPFUL WEBSITES ............................................................................ 4
GLOSSARIES ........................................................................................................... 5
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ABBREVIATIONS GLOSSARY
6
MEDICAL TERMS RELATING TO THE HUMAN BODY
23
MEDICAL TERMS FOR NORMAL CONDITIONS AND PROBLEMS IN THE HUMAN BODY
29
MEDICAL TERMS FOR NUMBERS AND QUANTITIES
32
MEDICAL TERMS RELATING TO POSITION AND DIRECTION
34
GLOSSARY OF WORD PARTS AND MEANINGS
36
PRONUNCIATIONS ............................................................................................... 54
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RESOURCES: HELPFUL WEBSITES
Online Medical Dictionaries
Medical Dictionary and Abbreviations http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au

Medical Dictionary http://www.medilexicon.com/medicaldictionary.php

Medical Dictionary www.medterms.com

Medical Dictionary www.virtualmedicalcentre.com/medical_dictionary.asp

Medical Dictionary http://www.mydr.com.au/medical-dictionary

Spell Check www.spellex.com/speller.htm
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
Medical Abbreviations
Abbreviations http://www.medilexicon.com/medicalabbreviations.php

Acronyms www.drsref.com.au/acronyms

Health Thesaurus
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http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/healththesaurus.htm
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Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
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GLOSSARIES
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1. Abbreviations
2. Medical Terms relating to the
Human Body
3. Normal Conditions and Problems
in the Body
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4. Numbers and Quantities
5. Position and Direction
6. MAIN GLOSSARY of word parts
and meanings
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Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
Page | 5
Abbreviations Glossary
The following abbreviations (and acronyms) are commonly used in medical
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environments. It is important to note that not all practitioners use the same
abbreviations, thus they may differ from one environment to the next.
A
A
Artery
Ab
Antibody, Abnormal
AB, abor
Abortion
Abdo
Abdomen
ABG
Arterial blood gases (test)
ABI
Acquired brain injury
ABX
Antibiotics
AC
ADH
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ADL
Activities of Daily Living
ADR
Adverse drug reaction
AF
Amniotic fluid
Ag
Antigen
AI
Artificial insemination
ac
ACE
ACh
ACL
ACP
ACTH
ACU
AD
Ad lib
ADD
Before meals (ante cibum)
Angiotensin converting enzyme
Acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter)
Anterior cruciate ligament
Acid phosphatase
Adrenocorticotrophic hormone
Acute care unit
Alzheimer’s disease
As desired
Attention deficit disorder
Antidiuretic hormone
Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
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© Jennifer Atkins
Alternating current (electricity)
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AID
Artificial insemination by donor
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
AKA
Above knee amputation
ALD
Alcoholic liver disease
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ALL
Acute lymphocytic leukaemia
ALP
Alkaline phosphatase (enzyme)
ALT
Alanine transferase (enzyme)
AMA
Australian Medical Association
AMI
Acute myocardial infarction (heart attack)
anat.
Anatomy
ANA
Anti nuclear antibodies
ANS
Autonomic nervous system
ARD/ARDS
Acute respiratory distress syndrome
ARF
Acute renal failure
ASX
aux.
AV
AVM
B
B.
BD, bd
Ba
Aspartate aminotransferase
Asymptomatic (without symptoms)
Auxiliary
Atrio-ventricular or arterio-venous
Arterio-venous malformation
Blood
Two times daily (bis die)
Barium
(1) blood alcohol level; (2) bronchoalveolar lavage
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BAL
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AST
BE
Barium enema (x-ray examination of the colon)
BGL
Blood glucose level
Bili
Bilirubin
Biol.
Biology
BM
Bowel movement
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Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
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Medical Terms relating to the Human Body
Word Part
Meaning
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Abdomen
Achill/o
Achilles tendon
Acous/o
Hearing
Aden/o
Gland
Adenoid-
Adenoids
Adip/o
Fat, Adipose tissue
Adren/o, Adrenal/o
Adrenal gland
Alveol/o
Alveoli (of the lungs)
An/o
Anus
Angi/o
Blood vessel
Aort/o
Append/ic/o
Arteriol/o
Arthr/o
Arthr/o, Articul/o
Ater/i/o
Atri/o
Axill/o
Blephar/o
Brachi/o
Bronch/i/o
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Abdomin/o
Aorta
Appendix
Arteriole
Joint
Joint
Artery
Atrium
Armpit
Eyelid
Arm
Bronchus
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Bronchiol/o
Bronchiole
Bucc/o
Cheek
Burs/o
Bursa (a small, fluid-filled sac)
Caec/o
Caecum
Capill/o
Capillary
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Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
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Medical Terms for Normal Conditions and Problems in
the Human Body
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Meaning
a-, an-
Without; lacking
-agra
Seizure, sudden pain
-algesio-, -algesi
Pain
-algia
Condition of pain
Ankyl/o
Crooked, stiffening, bent, fusing
anti-
Against
-capnia
Condition of Carbon Dioxide
cari-
Rot or decay of teeth
contra-
Against
Dips/o
dis-dynia
dys-ectasia, -ectasis
-ema
-emesis
-esis
eu-ia
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Word Part
Thirst
Separation, apart
Condition of pain, swelling
Difficult, abnormal, painful, bad
Expansion, stretching or dilation
Condition
Vomiting
Abnormal state or condition
Good, normal, well, easily
Condition of, abnormal condition,
disease
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-iasis
Condition, formation of, disease
-ism
Condition, state, process
-itis
Inflammation
-lepsy
Seizure, fit
-lithiasis
Abnormal condition of stones
-lysis, lys/o
Break down, destruction, dissolving
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Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
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Medical Terms for Numbers and Quantities
Word Part
Meaning
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Aux/i/o, -auxis
Increase
Bi-
Two, twice, double, life
Brady-
Slow
-cle, -cule
Small
Deca-
Ten
Deci-
One tenth
Demi-
Half
Deutero-
Second
Didym-
Twins
Diplo-
Double
HemiHol/oHomoHyperHypo-icle
IsoKiloMacro-
One hundredth
Half, on one side
Entire, whole
The same, resembling
Above, above normal, beyond,
excessive, over
Under, deficient, below normal
Small
Equal, like, same
One thousandth
Large
Great, abnormally large
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Mega-, megalo-
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Hecto-
-megaly
Enlargement
Mi/o-
Make smaller, less
Mic-, micro-
Small, one millionth
Milli-
One thousandth
Mon/o
One, single
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Medical Terms relating to Position and Direction
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Meaning
Ab-
Away from
Ad-
Toward, near
Af-
Towards, near, to
Ag-
Towards, near, to
Ambi-
Both, on both sides
Ante-
Before, in front of, forward
Anter/o
In front of, anterior
Anti-
Against
Apo-
Away from, separate
CircumContraCyclDeDextroDiaDors/i/oEc/o-, Ect/oEfEmEn-
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Word Part
Around
Against, opposing
Circle
Down, away from, ending, reversing
Right side
Across, apart, between, through
Back (of the body), dorsal
Out, outer part, outside
Out, away from
In
Inside, in, within
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Endo-, Ento-
Within, inner, inside
Epi-
Above, Upon, on, outside of
Ex-
Out, out of, away from, beyond
Exo-
Out, outer part, outside
Extra-
Outside of, beyond, outward
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Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
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Glossary of Word Parts and Meanings
The following glossary contains an alphabetical list of prefixes, suffixes and root
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words. Prefixes have a dash after the word, suffixes have dash before the word and
root words may end in /o-. Each word part has its meaning in the second column,
followed by an example of its use in medical terminology.
Meaning
Example
a-, an-
Without, lacking
Aphasia, Anaemia
ab-
Away from
Abnormal
Ac-
Relating to
Acceptor
Acous/o-
Hearing
Acoustic
Acr/o-
To do with the extremities
Acrodermatitis
-ad
Toward
Cephalad
Toward, near
Adductor
Gland
Adenoma
Fat
Adipose
Adrenal gland
Adrenolytic
Adrenal cortex
Adrenocortical
Condition of blood
Hyperglycaemia
Sensation
Anaesthesia
Clumping, sticking together
Agglutination
Assemble together
Glucagon
Seizure, sudden pain
Podagra
Pertaining to
Bronchial
Albin/o
White
Alges/i/o
Sensation, sense of pain
-algia
Condition of pain
Alveol/o
Alveolus
Ambi-
Both, around, on both sides
adAden/oAdip/o
Adren/oAdrenocortic/o
-aemia
Aesthes/i/o, AesthetAgglutin/o
-agon
-agra
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Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
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Word Part
Albinism
Analgesia
Neuralgia
Alveolar
Ambidextrous
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Again, going backwards
Anaphylaxis
Andr/o
Male
Androgen
Angi/o-
Blood vessel
Angioplasty
Ankyl/o
Crooked, stiffening, bent, fusing
Ankylosis
Ante-
Before, in front of, forward
Anteflexion
Antero
Front, infront of, anterior to
Anterolisthesis
Anti-
Against
Anticoagulant
Appendic/o
Appendix
Appendicitis
Ar-, -ar
Pertaining to
Solar, Arrhythmia
Arteri/o-
Artery
Arterioplasty
Arthr/o
Joint
Arthritis
-ary
Pertaining to
Pulmonary
-asthenia
Lack of strength
Myasthenia
Ather/o
Fatty plaque lining a blood vessel
Atherosclerosis
Atrium
Atrioventricular
Self
Autologous
Increase
Auxotroph
Armpit
Axillary
Two, twice, double, life
Binocular
Bile
Biliary
Life, living
Biology
Immature cell, developing
Osteoblast
Eyelid
Blepharoplasty
Arm
Brachial
Slow
Bradycardia
Bronch/i-
Bronchus
Bronchiol/o
Bronchiole
Bucc/o-
Cheek
Burs/o-
Bursa
Caec/o
Caecum
Atri/oAutoAux/i/o, -auxis
Axill/o
BiBil/i
Bio-blast
BlepharBrachi/o
© Jennifer Atkins
Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
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Brady-
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Ana-
Bronchitis
Bronchiolitis
Buccal
Bursitis
Caecostomy
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BSBMED301B
Medical Terminology
Pronunciation Guide
au
Medical Administration
Training
Written by Jennifer Atkins
© Jennifer Atkins
Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
Page | 53
Pronunciations
Medical words can be tricky to pronounce, however many dictionaries are a great
help as they provide phonetic spelling. This ensures you can pronounce even the
most difficult words. Many dictionaries will provide each medical term with its
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correct spelling, and in brackets the phonetic spelling follows. However, you need to
ensure the dictionary you use has Australian pronunciations.
For example:
Cardiac is pronounced
KAR-di-ak
KAR-dee-OL-oh-jist
Gastroenteritis is pronounced
gas-troh-enter-I-tis
Gastropathy is pronounced
gass-TROP-uh-thee
Gastrotomy is pronounced
gass-TROT-omi
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Cardiologist is pronounced
Many words are pronounced as they are spelt, but there are exceptions. For
example:
Ch is sometimes pronounced as an k
Ps is pronounced as an s
Pn is pronounced as n
Ph is pronounced as f
Chronic (KRON-ik)
Psychologist (sy-KOL-o-jist)
Pneumonia (new-MOH-nia)
Phobia (FOH-bia)
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Rh is pronounced as r
Rheumatism (ROOM-a-tism)
Pt is pronounced as t
Ptosis (TOH-sis)
Oe is pronounced as ee
Oesophagus (ee-SOF-a-gus)
Ae is pronounced as ee
Anaemia (a-NEE-mia)
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Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
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In this guide the pronunciation is provided after each word. Words of two or more
syllables are broken up with a hyphen (-). The syllable that is stressed is shown in
capitals.
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Medical terms are provided for the various systems of the body. Commonly used
terms are provided in each category, followed by the phonetic spelling and meaning
of each word.
Integumentary System

Skeletal System

Muscular System

Digestive System

Cardiovascular System

Respiratory System

Nervous System

Endocrine System

Lymphatic System

Urinary System

Reproductive System

Radiology

Pathology
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Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
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Self check
Fill in the following tables to track your spelling and pronunciation results.
Spelling results
Chapter
Words
Attempt 1
Attempt 2
Attempt 3
Attempt 4
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Integumentary 16
Skeletal
12
Muscular
11
Digestive
11
Cardiovascular 14
14
Nervous
12
Endocrine
12
Lymphatic
12
Urinary
12
Reproductive
12
Radiology
11
Pathology
10
Pronunciation results
Chapter
Words
Integumentary 16
Skeletal
12
Muscular
11
Digestive
11
Cardiovascular 14
14
Nervous
12
Endocrine
12
Lymphatic
12
Urinary
12
Reproductive
12
Radiology
11
Pathology
10
© Jennifer Atkins
Attempt 1
Attempt 2
Attempt 3
Attempt 4
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Respiratory
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Respiratory
Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
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Integumentary System
Pronunciation
Meaning
Alopecia
al-ǒ-PEE-shiǎ
Hair loss, particularly from scalp.
Dermatitis
der-mǎ-TY-tis
Inflammation of the skin.
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Word
Dermatofibroma der-mǎ-toh-FI-bro- mǎ
Small, red/brown bump in the skin.
Dermatologist
A specialist who studies diseases of the
Eczema
Eosinophil
der-mǎ-TOL-ŏ-jist
EKS-imǎ
ee-oh-SIN- ŏ-fil
skin.
A recurring, non-infectious,
inflammatory skin condition.
A white blood cell that can stain
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orange-red.
Epidermis
epi-DER-mis
The outer layer of the skin.
Erythrocyte
i-RITH-roh-syt
Red blood cell.
Integumentary
in-TEG-yoo-men-tǎ-re
The skin, hair and nails.
Keratosis
ke-rǎ-TOH-sis
A horny overgrowth of the skin.
Melanocyte
MEL-ǎ-noh-syt
Cells that produce pigment.
Onychomycosis
on-i-koh-my-KOH-sis
Fungal infection of the nail.
Psoriasis
sŏ -RY-ǎ-sis
A chronic skin condition with inflamed,
Rosacea
roh-ZAY-shiǎ
au
red, raised areas and silvery scales.
A common skin condition with redness,
pimples, and broken blood vessels.
Subcutaneous
sub-kew-TAY-nius
The deepest layer of skin.
Xeroderma
zeer-oh-DER-mǎ
Dryness of the skin.
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Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
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