Lecture 4
Word Formation of Medical
Terms
Building Elements
Root
Prefix
Suffix
Combining
Vowel
Root
A
root is what remains when all added
elements in a word have been removed,
the part that is not further divisible.
 The root, the core in a word, provides the
fundamental meaning of that word.
 derm →skin
epidermis, dermis, dermatology,
dermatitis, dermatosis, dermatoid
Prefix
A
prefix is a letter or a letter combination
placed before a word or a combining form
to alter or modify the basic meaning of the
word.
 A larger proportion of prefixes describe
spatial relationship. Others negate
concepts, and still others describe
physical properties or qualities of objects
or concepts.
Suffix
 Suffix:
attached to the end of a word base to
change either the meaning of the base or the
class of the word.
 two types: simple suffix and compound suffix.
(1) Simple suffixes: those that have nothing
added to them.
-itis → inflammation as in nephritis and
hepatitis.
Suffix
(2) Compound suffix: a combination of a base
and a simple suffix.
-pathy → patho- (disease, suffering) + -y
(condition, act, process)
“disease, or a diseased condition ”
-ectomy → ec- (out) + tom- (to cut) + -y (act,
process)
“the surgical removal, the process of cutting out,
or excision”
tonsillectomy appendectomy thyroidectomy
Combining Vowel
1. Types of combining vowels
Greek source
(1) -o- cardi + o → cardioo + logy → -ology
(2) -a- par + a → para(3) -y- brad + y → brady- pol + y → polyLatin source
-i- mult + i→ multi- i + cide → -icide
ov + i → ovi-
Combining Vowel
2. arrangement of the combining vowels
(1) gastr/o + pathy → gastropathy
par/a + thyroid → parathyroid
(2) gastr/o + algia → gastralgia
gastr/o + itis → gastritis
par/a + enteral → parenteral
(3) gastr/o + intestinal → gastrointestinal
nephr/o + abdominal → nephroabdominal
(4) gastr/o + rhagia → gastrorrhagia
splen/o + rhaphy → splenorrhaphy
a + rhythm + ia → arrhythmia
Word Formation
 Affixation
 Composition
 Conversion
 Blending
 Backformation
 Clipping
 Initialism
and Acronym
Affixation
Affixation: formation of words by means of
affixes (prefix and suffix).
prefixation
suffixation
Prefixation
a prefix is attached to the front of base
autograft
isograft
allograft (homograft)
xenograft (heterograft)
Suffixation
a suffix is attached to the end of base
immune
immunity
immunize
immunization
Rules Of Word Formation
 Arrangement
of the morphemes
(1) lymphadenitis→ lymph＋aden＋itis
1
2
3
淋巴
腺 炎症
mastectomy → mast＋ectomy
4
5
乳房 切除术
lipoma → lip＋oma
6
7
脂肪 肿瘤
Rules Of Word Formation
mastadenitis
lymphadenoma
mastitis
mastadenoma
adenoma
adenolipoma
lipectomy
lymphadenectomy
adenitis
adenectomy
lymphoma
Rules Of Word Formation
(2) phagocyte — cytophagy
blastocyte — cytoblast
podagra
— agropod
(meaningless)
Two situations of the combination of
the morphemes: parallel connection
and restrictive connection
Rules Of Word Formation
 nasopharyngeal
↓
nose
pharyngonasal
↓
throat
 dentosurgical
↓
tooth
↓
surgery
 dyschondroplasia
↓
bad
chondrodysplasia
↓
↓
cartilage development, formation
Typical Patterns of Affixation
1.prefix + root
e.g. inject : in- (into) + jec (t)- (to throw)
put material into a particular location,
often using a syringe
2. prefix + combining vowel + root
e.g. ectoderm : ect- (outside) + derm(skin),
the outer layer of the embryo
Typical Patterns of Affixation
3. root + suffix
e.g. stasis : sta- (to stand) + -sis (a
condition of),
slowing of fluid movement
4. root + combining vowel + suffix
e.g. sclerosis : scler- (to harden) + -sis
(a condition of)
hardening or stiffening of a tissue
Typical Patterns of Affixation
5. prefix + root + suffix
e.g. perirenal: peri- (around) + ren(kidney) + -al (pertaining to)
located around the kidney
6. prefix + root + combining vowel +
suffix
e.g. synarthrosis : syn- (together) +
arthr- (joint)+ -sis (a condition of)
immobilization of a joint by fusion
Typical Patterns of Affixation
7. prefx + prefix + root + combining
vowel + suffix
e.g. contraindication : contra- (against) +
in- (toward) + dic(t)- (to speak) + -tion
(the action or process involved )
a condition that precludes using a drug
8. root + root + suffix
e.g. sialadenitis : sial- (saliva) + aden(gland) + -itis (an inflammatory condition),
inflammation of a salivary gland
Typical Patterns of Affixation
9. root + combining vowel + root + suffix
e.g. hemophilia : hemo- (blood) + phil- (beloved,
loving) + -ia (pathological or abnormal
condition)
any of several hereditary blood- coagulation
disorders
10. prefix + root + root + suffix
e.g. hyperglycemia : hyper- (excessive) + glyc(sweet) + (h)em- (blood) + -ia (condition)
the presence of an abnormally high concentration
of glucose in the blood
Composition
a word-forming process by joining two
or more words:
open compound
hyphenated compound
solid compound
open compound
an open compound is made up of two or
more words written separately:
 woman doctor
 man nurse
 sleeping sickness
 brain death
 family planning
 birth control
 gray matter
 white matter
hyphenated compound
A hyphenated compound consists of two or
more words connected by a hyphen:
 high-resolution
 host-specific
 deaf-mute
 air-borne
 bottle-feed
 graft-versus-host
solid compound
A solid compound consists of two words
written as one word:
 windpipe
 Sleepwalk
 overweight
 nosebleed.
neoclassical compounds
compounds coined from elements of the
classical languages (Latin and Greek):
 biocide
 lysosome
 bio-science
 psychanalysis
 biophysics
 chemotherapy
Conversion
a word is adapted or converted to a new class
without any change of form:
 stent (v.> n.)
 love (v.> n.)
 taste (v.> n.)
 smell (v.> n.)
 skin (v.> n.)
 plaster (v.> n.)
 mask (v.> n.)
 faint (adj.> n.)
 empty (adj.> n.)
Blending
part + part
whole + part
part + whole
genome (gene + chromosome)
affluenza (affluent + influenza)
redox ( reduction oxidation)
breathalyzer (breath + analyzer)
medicaid (medical + aid)
medicare (medical + care)
paramedic (parachute + medic)
surgitool (surgical tool)
Backformation












vaccinate ←vaccination
automate ←automation
diagnose ← diagnosis
injure ← injury
contracept ← contraception
ovulate ← ovulation
palpitate ← palpitation
transcript ← transcription
vivisect ← vivisection
proliferate ← proliferation
adolesce ← adolescence
psychoanalyze ← psychoanalysis
Backformation
← biography
 claustrophobe ← claustrophobia
 chemist ← alchemist
 paramedic ← paramedical
 pathogen ← pathogenic
 gloom ← gloomy
 biograph
Clipping
←examination
 ad ←advertisement
 doc ← doctor
 CA/ca ← cancer/carcinoma
 lab ← laboratory
 flu ← influenza
 specs ← spectacles
 polio ← poliomyelitis
 psych ← psychology
 quack ← quacksalver
 exam
Initialization
Initialization(首字母缩略法) are very
common in medical literature. An acronym
is a word coined from the initial letters of a
group of words. They have been very
active and have been increasing in number
especially in science and technology. A
large number of acronyms have been
created in medical Literature.
Initialism and Acronym
abbreviations that are formed using the
initial components in a phrase or name
 An acronym is a series of letters
pronounced as a word (e.g. NATO: North
Atlantic Treaty Organization).
 An initialism is a series of letters
pronounced as individual letters (e.g. DNA:
deoxyribonucleic acid).
Initialisms
WHO (World Health Organization)
 FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
 CT (computerized tomography)
 RBC (red blood cell)
 CC (chief complaint)
 BMR (basal metabolic rate)
 BP (blood pressure)
 GP (general practitioner)
 NP (nurse practitioner)
 JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association)
 MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

Acronyms
 AIDS
(Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome)
 SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome)
 LASER/laser (Light Amplification by
Stimulated Emission of Radiation)
Initialism and Acronym
Some words are mostly composed of
the initial letter of the word plus the first
letter of other components of the same
word, such as:
TB (tuberculosis)
OD (overdose)
IV (intravenous)
IM/im (intramuscular)
Hb (hemoglobin),
RT (radiotherapy)
NP (neuropsychiatry)
Initialism and Acronym
Initialisms from Latin or Greek:
a.c. (ante cibum = before meal)
p.c. (post cibum = after meal)
b.i.d (bis in die = twice a day)
t.i.d (ter in die = three times a day)
q.i.d (quarter in die = four times a day)
b.i.n (bis in nocte = twice a night)
Initialism and Acronym
O.D (oculus dexter = right eye)
O.S (oculus sinister = left eye)
p.r.n (pro re nata = as needed)
q.h (quaque hora = every hour)
q.m (quaque mane = every morning)
q.n (quaque nocte = every night)
Rules Of Word Formation
Chinese and English Medical Terms
 stomach
→ gastritis
 liver →hepatitis
 brain →encephalitis
 skin →dermatitis
 joint →arthritis
 heart →carditis
 intestine →enteritis
 kidney →nephritis
 tongue →glossitis
 throat
→ laryngitis
 bone→ osteitis
 ear→ otitis
 vein → phlebitis
 nose→ rhinitis
 mouth → stomatitis
 lung →pneumonia
 pleural → pleurisy
Rules Of Word Formation
Chinese and English Medical Terms
 溢饮→anasarca全身水肿
 消渴→diabetes
糖尿病
 痘疮→ smallpox天花
 耵聍→cerumen 耳垢
 鼻衄→epistaxis鼻出血
 溺血→ hematuria 血尿
 血崩→ metrorrhagia 子宫出血
 牙宣→gingival atrophy 牙龈萎缩
 风疹 → German measles（德国麻疹），
rubella（红疹）