Medical
Terminology
Basic Word Structure
Basic Word Structure Objectives:
 To
divide medical terms into component
parts
 To analyze, pronounce, and spell medical
terms using common combining forms,
suffixes and prefixes.
Test Questions
 Anything
found in your book AND on the
slide show are FAIR GAME for test
questions.
Word Analysis
 Medical
words are used everyday in a
medical setting




If you work in a medical setting
If you are a patient in a hospital
If you are in a doctor’s office
Speaking with family members about
conditions they might have
Understanding
 You
can understand a word even if you
have never heard it before!
 Complicated words can be broken down
into parts and the meaning deduced
from the parts.

To deduce means: to arrive at a conclusion
or fact by reasoning; to draw a logical
conclusion
The 3 “Rs”
 The
best way to learn this material:
 wRite


Write out the words/meanings
Color-Code if possible
 Repeat

Do it again
 Review

Flashcards, writing, saying, etc.
Colors used here:
Prefix (blue)
Root (Purple)
Combining
Vowel (green)
• Suffix (red)
• Important words
(brown)
•
•
•
•
When studying flashcards
 Start


Pick 1-2 that are hard, 1-2 that are easy
Repeat them till memorized.
 Add

with a few (3-6).
a few more (2-3) unknown ones.
Mix with original pile, repeat till memorized.
 Repeat
adding a few at a time till they are
all memorized.
**We will be doing flashcards daily!**
Example 1 – How to break down
a word
Hematology
Root
Combining Vowel
Suffix
Not shown: Prefix (Would go before root in example1)
How to analyze a word
 Begin

Suffix
 Next

look at the BEGINNING of the word
Word root (or sometimes prefix)
 Next

at the END of the word
look at the combining vowel
This will help you to break the word up into
its parts – “O” is the most common
combining vowel.
Example 1(cont.)
What does it mean?
Hematology
Root (blood)
Combining Vowel
Suffix (study of)
Answer: The Study of Blood
Example 2
What does it mean?
Electrocardiogram
Root (electricity)
Root (heart)
Combining Vowels
Answer: Record of the Electricity in the Heart
Suffix (record)
Combining Form
 Combining
vowel and root word together
 Examples:




Electr/o: Electricity
Cardi/o: Heart
Gastr/o: Stomach
Enter/o: Intestines
Example 3
What does it mean?
Gastroenterology
Root (stomach)
Root (intestines)
Combining Vowels
Suffix (Study of)
Answer: The Study of the Stomach and the Intestines
Common Suffixes
 -scope

Instrument used to visually examine
 -ic

Pertaining to
 -ac

Pertaining to
 -itis

Inflammation
Prefixes
 Found
at the beginning of a word and
can change a meaning.
 Examples:
 Sub
below
 Trans
across
 Retro
Behind
Important Rules
 Read
a medical word starting at the suffix,
then going to the prefix (if present), and
then root word(s)from left to right.
 If a suffix begins with a vowel, drop the
combining vowel.
 If two root words are combined, keep the
combining vowel even if the second root
word begins with a vowel.
Example 4
What does it mean?
Gastroscope
Root (stomach)
Combining Vowel
Suffix (instrument used
to visually examine)
Answer: Instrument used to visually examine the stomach
Example 5
What does it mean?
Gastric
Root (stomach)
Suffix (pertaining to)
Answer: Pertaining to the stomach
* Combining Vowel is dropped because “-ic” begins with a vowel
Example 6
What does it mean?
Cardiac
Root (heart)
Suffix (pertaining to)
Answer: Pertaining to the heart
* Combining Vowel is dropped because “-ac” begins with a vowel
Example 7
What does it mean?
Enteritis
Root (intestines)
Suffix (inflammation)
Answer: inflammation of the intestines
* Combining Vowel is dropped because “-itis” begins with a vowel
Example 8
What does it mean?
Gastroenteritis
Root (stomach)
Root (intestines)
Combining Vowel
Suffix (inflammation)
Answer: The Study of the Stomach and the Intestines
* Combining Vowel is dropped because “-itis” begins with a vowel
Assignment:
 In



Notebooks:
Put today’s date
Title: Combining forms: Workbook pages 5-14
Write the medical term and meaning for each
item found. Number each item (there are 39
of them)
Answers
 Be
prepared to share your answers to
workbook pages 5-14.
 Learning
to pronounce the words is part
of this class!
What happens in a stroke?
 Blood
flow is slowed or stopped to an
area of the brain.
 The following may occur:




Aphasia (loss of speech)
Paralysis (loss of movement)
Weakness
Changes in the 5 senses.
Two types of Stroke:
What is the prostate gland?
 Gland
in males only
 Sits below the bladder
(where urine is stored)
 Secretes fluid that
combines with sperm to
form semen (fluid that
leaves the urethra during
ejaculation)
Blood Cells - Erythrocytes
 Red
Blood Cells
 Carry Oxygen
Blood Cells - Leukocytes
 Help
to fight disease
 Also known as White Blood Cells
 Five different types:





Eosinophil
Basophil
Neutrophil
Lymphocyte
Monocyte
Blood Cells - Thrombocytes
 Platelets
 Help
the blood
to clot
All the Blood Parts: (sizes)
Plural words (Part 1)
 If
a word ends in “a”, keep the “a” and
add an “e”.

Vertebra (backbone)
 Plural:

vertebrae
Bursa (sack of fluid near a joint)
 Plural:
bursae
 If
a word ends in “is”, drop the “is” and
add “es”

Diagnosis (nature and cause of disease)
 Plural:

diagnoses
Psychosis (abnormal condition of the mind)
 Plural:
psychoses
Plural words (Part 2)
 If
a word ends in “ex” or “ix”, drop the
“ex” or “ix” and add an “ices”.

Cortex (Outer parts of organs)
 Plural:

cortices
Varix (enlarged, swollen vein)
 Plural:
varices
 If
a word ends in “on”, drop the “on” and
add “a”

ganglion (groups of nerve cells or benign
cysts near a joint)
 Plural:
ganglia
Plural words (Part 3)
 If
a word ends in “um”, drop the “um”
and add an “a”.

Bacterium (Type of one-celled organism)
 Plural:

bacteria
Ovum (egg cell)
 Plural:
Ova
 If
a word ends in “us”, drop the “us” and
add “i”

Bronchus (tubes leading from the windpipe
to the lungs)
 Plural:

bronchi
Calculus (stones)
 Plural:
Calculi
Plural words (Part 4)
 Exceptions
to the rules:
 Virus
(small infectious agent that can
replicate inside other living cells)

Plural: Viruses
 Sinus
(cavity within the bone or other
tissue)

Plural: Sinuses
Assignment:
 Worksheet:


“Plurals and Basics”
Complete and turn in
 Flashcards:

Study
What is a hematoma?
 Blood
trapped in the skin or under an organ
Left: Subungual hematoma
Bottom left: Hickie
Medical Examiner
Versus a Coroner
Medical Examiner versus a Coroner
 Autopsy:
Process of viewing self (viewing the
cause of a patient’s death)
 Biopsy: Process of viewing life (viewing of live
tissue under a microscope)
 Pathologist: Medical doctor who does
autopsies and views biopsies
 Medical Examiner (M.E.): is a pathologist who
specializes in forensic medicine related to
crimes.
 Coroner: Elected official who investigates any
suspicious death (may or may not be a
Medical Examiner)
Medical terms using “-logy” - 1
 Cardiology

Study of the heart
 Dermatology

Study of the skin
 Endocrinology

Study of the endocrine glands
 Gastroenterology

Study of the stomach and intestines
 Gynecology

Study of women and women’s diseases
 Rheumatology

Study of joint diseases
Medical terms using “-logy” - 2
 Hematology

Study of the blood
 Neurology

Study of the nerves, brain and spinal cord
 Oncology

Study of tumors (cancerous or malignant)
 Opthalmology

Study of the eye
 Pathology

Study of disease
 Psychology

Study of the mind and mental disorders
Assignment:
 In



Notebooks:
Put today’s date
Title: Suffixes and Prefixes: Workbook pages 15-20
Write the medical term and meaning for each item
found. Number each item (there are 40 of them)
Answers
 Be
prepared to share your answers to
workbook pages 15-20.
 Learning
to pronounce the words is part
of this class!
Graves Disease
 Hyperthryoidism:
condition of
excessive thyroid
(hormone)
Laparoscopy
 Lapar/o:
abdomen
 -scopy: process of visual
examination
Arthroscopy
 Arthr/o:
joint
 -scopy: visual
examination
Hyperglycemia
 Condition
of having excessive glucose (sugar)
 Type 1 diabetes:

Lack of insulin
 Type

2 diabetes:
Insulin doesn’t work
 Both
results in excess sugar remaining in the
blood instead of being transported into the
cells so that energy can be made.
What is it like
to live with
diabetes?
 Lets
read Pages
21-22 together.
Exercises:
 Part




B – Page 24
Write out the sentence, underline the term used.
 Part

A – Page 23
Write the word, using a slash to divide into
component parts
Write the meaning for the whole term.
 Part

Do all work in your notebooks – Put
today’s date, and what you are
working on at the top of the page.
C – Page 24
Write the word
Write the tissue/body part it describes
Write the meaning of the word.
Exercises:
 Part




E – Page 25
Write the suffix
Write the meaning
 Part

D – Page 25
Write the word
Write the meaning
 Part

Do all work in your notebooks – Put
today’s date, and what you are
working on at the top of the page.
F – Page 26
Write out the complete sentence
Underline the medical term you complete
Exercises:
 Part




H – Page 27
Write the medical term
Write the meaning
 Part

G – Page 26
Write the prefix
Write the meaning
 Part

Do all work in your notebooks – Put
today’s date, and what you are
working on at the top of the page.
I – Page 27
Write out the complete medical term (underline it)
Write the meaning
Exercises:
 Part



K – Page 30
Write the medical term
Write the plural of the medical term
 Part

J – Page 28-30
Write the bold medical term
Write the meaning
 Part

Do all work in your notebooks – Put
today’s date, and what you are
working on at the top of the page.
L – Page 30-31
Write the words you would circle in the vignette
Pronunciation
 Work
with a partner
 Practice saying the words you find on
Pages 33-36
 Quiz each other on their meanings
*** Bonus: Write out the words as you say
them as well as their meanings ***
Do all work in your notebooks – Put
today’s date, and what you are
working on at the top of the page.
Practical Applications
 Sometimes
we don’t have to know all of the
information in order to figure out what a word
means.
 Practice
this skill by writing out the procedure
and the condition that it would treat from the
list given.
 Use the process of elimination when necessary.
POA versus Admitting diagnosis
 POA:

Present on Admission
Conditions that are noted and treated if
necessary but may not cause a patient to
be admitted into the hospital
 Admitting

diagnosis
Condition that can become lifethreatening without proper treatment. This
is a reason for hospital admittance.
Do all work in your notebooks – Put
today’s date, and what you are
working on at the top of the page.
Picture Show
 Page
39-41
 Write out the question and the answer for parts
A, B, C, D.
Do all work in your notebooks – Put
today’s date, and what you are
working on at the top of the page.
Review
 Page
43-44
 Write out the combining forms and their
meanings
 Write out the suffixes and their meanings
 Write out the prefixes and their meanings
Terminology Checkup
 Take
 If
a look at the list of items on page 46
you are not comfortable with telling the
difference between the items listed, go
back and study!