WORDS: THE POWER
WITHIN
Lesson 16 -Vital Signs
CAPIT
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Capital
Capit + al (related to)
Literal definition – related to the head
Dictionary definition – (n) the most important city or
town of a country or region; money or assets a
person can use to start a business; (adj) main or
most important; related to wealth or money; the
size of the letter to begin names and sentences;
subject to the death penalty
CAPIT
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Capitalize
Capit + ize (make, do)
Literal definition – make the head
Dictionary definition – (v) to turn something into an
advantage or profit; to begin with a capital letter;
to provide a company with money
Wake Forest capitalized on the other team’s turnovers
and got easy points.
CAPIT - HEAD
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Capitalism
Capit + ism (doctrine)
Literal definition – head doctrine
Dictionary definition – (n) an economic and political
system in which there is a free market and the
means of production and distribution of goods and
services is owned by individuals rather than by the
state
Capitalism in the United States has helped define
what our country is all about.
CARDI
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Cardiac
Cardi + ic (pertaining to)
Literal definition – pertaining to the heart
Dictionary definition – (adj) pertaining to or
involving the heart
After suffering a heart attack, Mable had to wear a
cardiac monitor until she got better.
CARDI
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Cardiovascular
Cardi + vas (vessel) + al (related to)
Literal definition – related to heart vessels
Dictionary definition – (adj) pertaining to or
involving the heart and blood vessels
Good cardiovascular health is essential for a long,
happy life.
CARDI - HEART
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Electrocardiograph
Electro (electric) + cardi + graph (write, record)
Literal .– electric record of the heart
Dictionary definition – (n) a machine used to record
or display a person’s heartbeat
After Mable’s heart attack, she was hooked to an
electrocardiograph in order to monitor her heartbeat
HEMO (HEMAT)
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Hemoglobin
Hemo + globule (blood corpuscle)
Dictionary definition – (n) a red protein responsible
for transporting oxygen
Hemoglobin is the main component of red blood cells,
and low hemoglobin is sometimes referred to as
anemia.
HEMO (HEMAT)
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Hemorrhage
Hemo + rrhea (flow, burst)
Literal definition – blood flow
Dictionary definition – (n) an excessive flow of
blood from a ruptured vessel; (v) to lose an
excessive amount of blood
The deep cut resulted in severe hemorrhaging.
HEMO (HEMAT) - BLOOD
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Hematology
Hemat + logy (study of)
Literal definition – study of blood
Dictionary definition – (n) study in the function of the
blood
Research in hematology has helped find medicines
that can fight certain blood diseases.
NEURO
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Neurological
Neuro + logy (study of) + al (related to)
Literal definition – related to the study of the nerves
and brain
Dictionary definition – (adj) related to the anatomy,
function, and disorders of nerves and the nervous
system
We learned about neurological diseases in science.
NEURO
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Neuron
Neuro (brain, nerve)
Dictionary definition – (n) a cell that transmits nerve
impulses; a nerve cell
Neurons transmit signals throughout our bodies.
NEURO – BRAIN, NERVE
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Neurosurgery
Neuro + kheirourgia (Greek for handiwork)
Literal definition – brain surgery
Dictionary definition – (n) operation on the nervous
system, usually the brain or spinal cord
His head injury resulted in his needing neurosurgery.
PSYCH
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Psychiatrist
Psych + iatria (cure, heal) + ist (one who)
Literal definition – one who heals the mind
Dictionary definition – (n) a medical specialist who
diagnoses and treats mental illness
Wolfgang visited the psychiatrist, who helped treat
his arachnophobia.
PYSCH
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Psychic
Psych + ic (pertaining to)
Literal definition – pertaining to the mind
Dictionary definition – (adj) related to the human
mind; having extraordinary mental power, such as
extrasensory perception (ESP) and telepathy; (n)
one who has extraordinary mental powers that are
beyond explanation
The psychic seemed to be able to read my mind.
PSYCH - MIND
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Psychologist
Psych + logy (study of) + ist (one who)
Literal definition – one who studies the mind
Dictionary definition – (n) one who specializes in the
study of the human mind and its function, especially
those affecting behavior
The school psychologist spoke with Wolfgang about
his bad behavior. She wanted to know if trouble at
home might be causing him to act out.