Basic Word Structure
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by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All
rights reserved.
1
• Divide medical terms into their component parts
• Analyze, pronounce, and spell medical terms using common
combining forms, suffixes, and prefixes
Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2003, 1999, 1991
by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All
rights reserved.
2
•
•
•
•
Root: the essential meaning of the term
Suffix: word ending
Prefix: small part added to the beginning of the term
Combining vowel: connects roots to suffixes and roots to
other roots
• Combining form: the combination of the root and the
combining vowel
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by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All
rights reserved.
3
1.
2.
3.
Read the meaning of medical terms from the suffix back to the
beginning of the term and
then across
Drop the combining vowel before a suffix beginning with a
vowel:
gastritis not gastroitis
Keep the combining vowel word roots: gastroenterology not
gastrenterology
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4
Example:
ELECTR/O/CARDI/O/GRAM means record of
electricity in the heart
ELECTR:
root
O:
CARDI: root
O:
GRAM: suffix
combining vowel
combining vowel
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by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All
rights reserved.
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Example:
SUB/GASTR/IC means pertaining to under
the stomach
SUB: prefix (under)
GASTR:
root
IC:
suffix
(stomach)
(pertaining to)
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rights reserved.
6
aden/o
gland
arthr/o
joint
bi/o
life
carcin/o
cancer, cancerous
cardi/o heart
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rights reserved.
7
cephal/o
cerebr/o
cyst/o
cyt/o
derm/o skin
gland
cerebrum, largest
part of the brain
urinary bladder
cell
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dermat/o
skin
electr/o
electricity
encephal/o brain
enter/o
intestines (often
the small
intestines)
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erythr/o
red
gastr/o stomach
gnos/o
knowledge
gynec/o
woman, female
hem/o
blood
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hemat/o
blood
hepat/o liver
lapar/o
abdomen
leuk/o
white
nephr/o kidney
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11
neur/o
nerve
onc/o
tumor
ophthalm/o eye
oste/o
bone
path/o
disease
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psych/o mind
ren/o
kidney
rhin/o
nose
sarc/o
flesh
thromb/o
clotting
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13
- al
- algia
- cyte
- ectomy
pertaining to
pain
cell
cutting out; removal,
excision
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14
- emia
blood condition
- globin protein
- gram
record
- ia
condition
- ic
pertaining to
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15
- ism
- itis
- logist
- logy
condition, process
inflammation
specialist in the
study of
study of
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16
- oma
tumor, mass
- opsy
process of viewing
- osis
abnormal condition
- scope instrument to visually
examine
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- scopy process of visual
examination
- sis
state of
- tomy
process of cutting
into (incision)
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18
a-, anno, not
autself
diacomplete, through
dysbad, painful, difficult,
abnormal
endowithin
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exohyperhypoperi-
outside
excessive, more than
normal, too much
below, less than
normal, under
surrounding
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proreretrosubtrans-
before, forward
back
behind
below, under
across, through
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21
1.
Pertaining to the heart
DACCIRA
2.
Nerve pain
UGARENLAI
3.
Deficiency of hemoglobin causes this condition
IMEANA
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4.
Study of cells
GLYCOTOY
5.
Infants are often born in this position…head first!
PCLAHIEC
6.
Inflammation of a gland
NIDIEAST
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23
Bonus Term: Malignant diagnosis
CRNMOACIA
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