Chapter 2 Notes: Basic Term Components
Origin of Medical Terms
 Most medical terms have ___________________________________ or ____________________________________ origins.
o Most _____________________________________________________________________ terms have Greek origins
o Most _______________________________________________terms have Latin origins

Once you learn the basic medical term structure, and memorize the most common term
components, you can get the meaning of most medical terms by defining their parts
Analysis of Term Components
 Most medical terms have 3 components:
o ________________________________________
o ________________________________________
o ________________________________________

Root word
o Foundation or ____________________________________________ of the word
o Usually (but not always) indicates the involved body part.
 Ex. cardi
means heart

A ____________________________________________________ is a root word with a ______________________________ at
the end so that a suffix beginning with a consonant can be added.
o When a combining form appears alone, it is shown with a ____________________________ between
the root word and the combining vowel.
 Ex. cardi/o
o The combining form vowel is added to the end of a root word under certain conditions to
make the resulting medical term easier to pronounce.

The letter ___________________is the most commonly used combining vowel.

Suffix
o Always found at the ____________________of a medical term
o Gives essential meaning to the root word by indicating the condition, disorder, disease, or
procedure
 Ex. -itis
means inflammation

Prefix
o Found at the ____________________________________________ of a medical term
o _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 Only used when needed to further modify the root word
 Ex. hyper- means excessive
Word Part Combinations
 Not all medical terms come in the form:

__________________________________________________________________
Other possible word part combinations:
o Root word/suffix
o Root word/root word/suffix
o Prefix/root word/root word/suffix
o Prefix/prefix/root/suffix
o Prefix/suffix
Rules for Forming Medical Terms
1. A combining vowel is used to join root to root as well as root to any suffix beginning with a
____________________________________
electr +
cardi +
-gram
root
root
suffix
electr/o/cardi/o/gram
electrocardiogram
2. A combining vowel is ________________ used before a suffix that begins with a ___________________________
vas
+
-ectomy
root
suffix
vas/ectomy
vasectomy
3. If the root ends in a ____________________________ and the suffix begins with the __________________________,
drop the final vowel from the root and do not use a combining vowel
cardi +
-itis
root
suffix
card/itis
carditis
4. Most often, a combining vowel is inserted between two roots even when the 2nd root begins with a
vowel
cardi +
esophag
+
-eal
root
root
suffix
cardi/o/esophag/eal
cardioesophageal
Review
1. A combining vowel is used when the suffix begins with a consonant
2. A combining vowel is NOT used when the suffix begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u)
3. A combining vowel is used when two or more root words are joined.
Defining Medical Terms through Word Structure Analysis
 You can usually define a term by interpreting the suffix first, then the prefix (if present), then the
succeeding root or roots
peri- +
cardi/o
+
-itis
pericarditis
peri/card/itis
around heart inflammation
2
3
1
Pericarditis ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Spelling Medical Terms
o Many medical terms sound similar, but are spelled differently.


Ex:
_________________________ (part of the hip bone)
_________________________ (part of the intestine)

**Because of this, context is key to spelling medical terms correctly.**
o Some words sound similar but are spelled differently AND have different meaning, so be
careful when pronouncing medical terms

Ex:
__________________________ (to draw toward)
__________________________ (to draw away from)
Guidelines to Looking Up the Spelling of Unfamiliar Medical Terms
 Many letters in medical terms are silent, and therefore often mistakenly omitted when the term is
spelled.
If is sounds like:
F
J
K
S
Z
It may begin with:
F
PH
G
J
C
CH
K
QU
C
PS
S
X
Z
Example:
flatus
phlegm
gingivitis
jaundice
crepitus
cholera
kyphosis
quadriplegia
cytology
psychology
serum
xeroderma
zygote