Medical Terminology
Objectives
• Upon completion of this unit you will be
able to:
– Identify and define the four word parts
– Identify and define a combining form
– Analyze and define medical terms
– Build medical terms for given definitions
• Mrs. Jones is a 60 y/o admitted
thru ER c abdominal pain in the
RLQ.
CXR, EKG, CBC and ABG’s were
done stat. It was decided to
perform an exploratory
laparotomy, but suspects she will
end up needing a bilateral
salpingoophorectomy.
• pneumonultramicroscopicsilicovolcanonconiosis
Origins of medical language
• Current medical
vocabulary
includes terms built
from Greek and
Latin word parts,
some which were
used by
Hippocrates and
Aristotle over 2000
years ago
Word Parts / Building Blocks
• Medical terms are built from word
parts with some or all of the
following components:
• Word roots
• Suffixes
• Prefixes
• Combining vowels
• Combining forms
Word Root
• The word root is
the foundation of
the word
• Usually indicates
the part of the body
involved
• All medical terms
must have one or
more word roots
Examples:
• In the word…………………..play/er
(play is the word root)
• In the medical term …………arthr/itis
arthr (which means joint) is the word root
• In the medical term………….hepat/it is
hepat (which means liver) is the word root
Suffixes
• Suffix is the word part attached
to the end of the word root to
modify its meaning.
• The suffix usually indicates the
procedure, disease, or
condition
• All medical terms must have a
suffix.
Examples:
• In the medical term…………..hepat/ic
-ic (which means pertaining to) is the suffix
The term hepatic means pertaining to the
liver
• In the medical term ………… hepat/itis
-itis (which means inflammation) is the suffix
The term hepatitis means inflammation of
the liver (inflammation being a condition)
Prefix
• The prefix is a word part that is
attached to the beginning of the
word root to modify its meaning.
• It usually indicates location, time,
color, or number
• Not all medical terms have
prefixes
Examples:
• In the word ………………...re/play
re- is the prefix
• In the medical term ………sub /hepat /ic
sub- (which means under)
The medical term subhepatic means
pertaining to under the liver
Combining Vowel
• It links the root to the suffix or the root to
another root
• The combining vowel is usually an “O”
• A combining vowel has no meaning of its
own. It just joins word parts and makes them
easier to pronounce
Combining vowels
• Guideline #1:
– When connecting a root and a suffix a
combining vowel is used unless the suffix
begins with a vowel
• Guideline #2:
– When connecting two word roots, a
combining vowel is usually used even if
vowels are present at the junction
Exercise 1:
• True or False
Complete the phrases with
the correct word part:
6. There is always a prefix at the
beginning of a medical term
7. A combining vowel is always
used when connecting a word
root and a suffix
8. A prefix modifies the meaning
of the word
9. A combining vowel is used to
ease pronunciation
10. “I” is the most commonly used
combing vowel
11. The word root is the core of a
medical term
12. A combining vowel is used
between a prefix and word
root
13. A combining form is a word
part
1. A __ is attached at the
beginning of a word root
2. ___ are usually an “o”
3. All medical terms contain one
or more ___
4. A ____is attached at the end
of a word root.
5. The ______ _____ is the word
root with the combining vowel
attached
Analyzing and defining Medical Terms
osteoarthropathy
To analyze a medical term divide it into word parts, label each
word parts, and label the combining forms.
Divide the word with slashes:
oste / o/ arthr / o/ pathy
Label each word part by using the following abbreviations:
WR
WORD ROOT
P
PREFIX
S
SUFFIX
CV
COMBINING VOWEL
Example of dividing and
labeling:
WR
CV
WR
CV
S
Oste / o / arthr /o / pathy
CF
CF
Putting it together!
• To define medical terms apply the meaning
of each word part in the term.
• Begin by defining the suffix, then move to the
beginning of the term to complete the
definition
Fundamental rules for combining word parts
Word part
Abbr.
Definition
Root
wr
Gives essential meaning to the
word
Usually body part involved
Suffix
s
is the word ending
Usually indicates, disease,
procedure, or condition
Prefix
p
Added to the beginning. Usually
indicates times, number, color,
position
Combing vowel cv
Connects roots to suffixes and
root to other roots to make
pronunciation easier
Combining
form
Is the combination of the root
and combining vowel
cf
Root words
• Acr/o - extremities
• angi/o - vessel
• arthr/o – joint
Common Medical Root Words
• cardi/o – heart
• cephal/o – head
• col/o - colon
• cost/o – ribs
• crani/o - skull
• cyst/o –
sac containing fluid
urinary bladder
• derm/o, dermat/o, cutane – skin
• enter/o - intestines
• gastr/o - stomach
• hem/o – blood
hemat/o
• hepat/o - liver
• my/o – muscle
• nephr/o, ren/o – kidney
• neur/o – nerve
• or/o - mouth
• oste/o - bone
• ot/o – ear
• pneum/o
• pulmon/o, - Lung
• psych/o
-mind
• rhin/o – nose
• splen/o – spleen
• thorac/o
- chest
Colors
• cyan/o
• erythr/o
• leuk/o
• melan/o
• xanth/o
blue
red
white
black
yellow
Common Medical Suffixes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
-ac, -al, -ic
-algia
-ectomy
-itis
-malacia
-megaly
-ology
-ologist
pertaining to
pain
surgical removal
inflammation
softening
enlargement
the study of
specialist
Common Medical Suffixes
•
•
•
•
•
-oid
-osis
-otomy
-pathy
-scope
• -oma
-like, resembling
- abnormal condition
- cut into
– disease
- instrument to visually
examine
-tumor
Common Medical Prefixes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
aabadanteantiauto dysdorsendoepi-
absence of; without
away from
toward, in the direction of
before
against
self
difficult, painful
back
within
above, upon
Common Medical Prefixes (cont.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
hemihyperhypointerintramacromal –
micro peri poly-
half
over, above, increased
below, under, decreased
between, among
within, inside
large
bad
small
surrounding, around
many
Common Medical Prefixes
• post • sub• super• tachy -
after
under, less, below
above, excessive,
beyond
fast
(stop here)
Common Medical Abbreviations
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
c – with
s – without
a – before
p – after
po – by mouth
prn – as needed
NPO – nothing by mouth
Common medical Abreviations
• ASAP – as soon as
possible
• ABG’s - arterial
blood gases
• ac – before meals
• amb – ambulate or to
walk
• BP – blood pressure
• BS – blood sugar
• CBC – complete
blood count
• c/o – complaining of
• CXR – chest x-ray
Common Medical Abbreviations
•
•
•
•
•
•
DNR – do not resuscitate
EKG – electrocardiogram
ER - emergency room
GI – gastrointestinal
ICU – intensive care unit
PACU – post-anesthesia
care unit
• PT - physical therapy
• Pt - patient
• SOB – shortness of
breath
• VS – vital signs
• W/C – wheel chair
• wnl - within normal
limits
• y/o – year old
Common Medical Abbreviations
• stat – immediately
• IV – intravenous
(within a vein)
• q.d. – every day
• b.i.d. – two times a
day
• t.i.d. – three times a
day
• q.i.d – four times a
day
• Rx – prescription
• Tx - treatment
Common Medical Abbreviations
• Male
• female
Communication Connection
• A medication is to be taken once
every day (q.d.), but a health care
provider mistakenly writes q.i.d. on
the prescription. What will be the
result of writing the incorrect
abbreviation?
• A 76 y/o__ admitted amb. into the ER.
c/o SOB and appears to be cyanotic.
Tests ordered: ABG’s, CBC, CXR, and
EKG STAT. IV started with 18 gauge
butterfly infusing D5W at 20 gtts/min. VS
wnl. Pt. to be sent to ICU per w/c ASAP.
RX of Lanoxin 25 mg to be given po c
meals qd