Medical Terminology
Lesson 2
-algia
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Pain
Painful condition
A sensation of hurting
Strong discomfort in some part of the body
may be caused by injury, disease, or
malfunction of a structure transmitted
through the nervous system
-algia
• Cerebralgia and cephalalgia both mean
headache but cephalgia is used most
often.
-algia
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-ia (condition), alg- (pain)
-algia may be seperated into two parts:
-algia is used most often meaning pain
-alg (pain) can be used in other forms
such as algesi-, algo-, algeo-, and angio-
• They are used in other forms to avoid
confusion with algae (plant group)
Cervic• Neck or neck-like structure
• The cervix is the name for the neck or
necklike part of the body; used to name
parts of large bones of the body where the
bone becomes narrow (constricted) behind
the knoblike end (head)
Cervix
• The cervix is the name for the neck or
necklike part of the body; The narrow part
of a tooth at the gumline
• The cervix is the name for the neck or
necklike part of the body; parts of
pearshaped organs such as the uterus,
gall bladder, and urinary bladder
Chole• Bile; gall; yellow-brown or greenish fluid
secreted by the liver and stored in the
gallbladder (cholecyt)
• The purpose of bile is to help digest foods,
particularly fat. It is stored in the
gallbladder and secreted into the
intestines through the common bile duct
(cholangi)
Chole• Another name for the bile duct is the
common bile duct because it is common to
(joins) the liver and the gallbladder
(choledoch)
• Cholangitis- inflammation of bile duct (bile
vessel) angi here meaning tube, duct, or
canal vs blood vessel
Chondr• Cartilage; gristle; a firm elastic tissue
serving principally to connect body parts
• Cartilage is found in joints, in connections
between bones, and connected bones with
each other
Crani•
Both crani- and cranium are used to
mean 3 different structures- all referring
to bones of the head
1. All the bones of the head
2. All bones of the head except lower jaw
(mandible)
3. Brain case of enclosure; all cranial bones
around the brain, does not include facial
bones
Cyan• Blue; generally a deep or dark blue
• Have to do with an appearance of
blueness usually due to reduction of red
coloring matter of the blood (red blood
cells (erythrocytes) and component of red
blood cells (hemoglobin)
• Can also refer to chemical as with cyanide
cyst
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Sac containing fluid
Bladder
A pouch or baglike structure or organ
Used as a receptacle for secretions
cyst
• Sac is a smaller unit that sack
• Cyst can be an abnormal sac containing
fluid or a normal saclike structure such as
the urinary bladder or gallbladder
end• Inside; within; inner (sometimes seen in
the for ent-)
• Indicates “pointing to” something inside a
body part
• It may name the inner lining (usually
membrane) using the form end/o/___/ium
end• It may also refer to the inside of a structure
or organ in the for end/o/_____/al
hem(at)• Blood; the fluid that circulates in the heart
(cardi-) and blood vessels (hemangi-)
carrying nourishment and oxygen to the
body cells.
hem(at)1. If a root ends with the letter “m” it have
the form “mat”
2. If a root begins with the letter “h” and
begins the medical term the “h” will be
retained. If the root is proceeded by
another root the “h” will be dropped
Retained: hemangioma
Dropped: hyperemia
hemi• Half; half of; relating to or affecting a half
or one side; sometimes “a part of”
hyper• Above, more than normal; excessive;
opposite of hypo- (underneath or deficient)
• Although it may be used to indicate
“located above” it usually means
“excessive” or “more than usual
hypo• Under; beneath; deficient; less than
normal; underneath or below in space;
opposite of hyper• Hypotension- diminished tension; low
blood pressure
• Hypodermic- underneath the skin
hyster• Uterus; womb; hollow muscle organ in the
female in which the egg is deposited after
fertilization and develops until birth
lip• Fat; fatty; fatty tissue
• Many tumors may consists of fatty
substances and additional substances
• Fibrolipoma- tumor containing threadlike
fibers and fat
lith• Stone; a mass of extremely hard material;
a calculus (an abnormal hardening of body
substances or chemicals, particularly
mineral salts)
• Chole/lith- gallstones
• Nephr/o/lith- kidney stones
gallstones
http://www.herringlab.com/photos/
-lysis
• Loosening; set free; destruction; release;
breaking down; decomposition; freeing;
dissolving
• Lysis is a word meaning destruction;
decomposition of chemical compound;
loosening, as of an organ from adhesions
(an abnormal “sticking together” of
adjoining parts of the body)
my• Muscle; body organs consisting of bundles
of cells or fibers that can be contracted
and expanded to produce bodily
movements
-oid
• Like; resembling; having the form or shape
of
– lipoid – like or resembling fat
• Also used to describe tumors as
alternatives to –oma suffixed words
– Adenoid- a tumor consisting of glandular or
glandlike material
ophthalmopt•
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Ophthalm- the eye or eyes
Opt- seeing; vision; light
Optic- usually used to refer to the eye
Optical- usually used to refer to sight
Ophthalopt• Ophthalmologist- a physician, a doctor of
medicine, specializing in the treatment of
diseases of the eye
• Optometrist- a doctor of optometry
clinically trained and licensed to treat
visual defects with corrective lenses and
other methods not requiring license as a
physician
ost• Bone; bone tissue
• May appear in the forms of ost, oste, oss, ossi,
osse
• Ost- and oste- are root words in dealing with
disease conditions and therapy to correct
disease conditions
• Oss-, ossi-, osse- used in the naming of
anatomical parts involving bone and normal
biological processes involving bone
proct• “anus”, the past part of the digestive tube,
measuring about 18 centimeters (7 inches)
through which solid waste products are
expelled from the body
• Anus- opening that feces are expelled
• Anal- about 4 centimeters (1 ½ inches)
through which feces pass for expulsion
• Rectum- about 13 cm (5”) that serves as a
storage pouch for feces until it is expelled.
proct• Technically the element proct- is restricted
to words dealing with the rectum.
However, medical usage broadens the
application of the element to include anus,
anal canal, and rectum
psycho• Mind; mental processes; the processes of
thought, judgement, and emotion
• Psych- is used to express the behavior
resulting from physical processes taking
place in the brain (cerebr)
psych• Ologist- one who studies- “knower” or
“healer”
• -iatrist- always refers to a physician,
“healer”
• Clinical psychologist provides treatment
for mental disorders but it limited by
license or laws governing medical practice
psych• Psyciatrist- “healer of the mind”- a
physician and is limited only by laws
governing physicians
• Psychoanalysis- state or condition of
loosening the backwards
-scop
• observe; look; reveal
• Scope- the –e carries the meaning of
“instrument for”- means “instrument for
observing”
-ar
• Pertaining to; having a connection
• This “pertaining to” suffix is most
frequently applied to words ending in –l
and –le and is in the form –ular.
• Triangle- triang/ular
• Muscle- musc/ular
-ary
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Pertaining to/ having a connection with
Honor/ary
Budget/ary
Unit/ary
-cle
• Small; little
• This terminal forms a “diminutive” that is
the dictionary term for a word denoting a
small version of the thing indicated by the
main part of the word
• A part/i/cle is a “small part”
• An oss/i/cle is “a small bone”
-e
• Means of; instrument for
• This terminal usually applied to actions
roots (verbs) to denote a means by which
an action is performed, an instrument for
performing the action
• Scop/e- a means of looking or observing,
an instrument for looking or observing
-an, -ian
• Of or belonging to; frequently a person
belonging to or associated with
• Europe/an
• Ohio/an
• Flori/ian
-ide
• A terminal used in the naming of chemical
compounds
• Cyan/ide
• Brom/ide
• Chlor/ide
-ist
• One who practices; one who does; one
who does; one who is concerned with
• Chem/ist
• Humor/ist
• Novel/ist
-ium
• Noun ending/ frequently means place or
region, lining or covering tissue
• Auditor/ium- place for hearing
• Pod/ium- place for standing
ule
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Small, little; a diminutive
Glob/ule- tiny ball or globe
Caps/ule- small container
Ven/ule- small vein
-ular
• Pertaining to a small or little; pertaining to
small version of the thing indicated in the
main part of the word
• Vavular- pertaining to a small valve