VETERINARY TERMINOLGY
Heather Wipijewski,
CVT ALAT
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Introduction to Terminology
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Terminology based from Greek and Latin
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Why use?
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Understand medical record entries
Communicate with co-workers
Describe locations
Appropriate species terms
Many more!
Prefix
Root
Suffix
ANATOMY OF A MEDICAL TERM
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Prefix – Word part found at the beginning of
a word.
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Usually indicates number, location, time, or
status.
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Pre/operative : -pre is the prefix referring to “before”
the time of surgery
Root – Word part that gives the essential
meaning of the word.
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Hepat/itis: Hepat is the root word in this case which
means liver.
ANATOMY OF A WORD CONT.
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Combining Vowel – Single vowel – usually an “o” that
is added to the end of a root word to make the word
easier to pronounce.
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Cardi/o: Cardi is the root word and the “o” is the
combining vowel. This just makes the word easier
to pronounce.
Combining Form – Combination of the root and
combining vowel
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Cardi/o vs. Cardi : In these examples, cardio is
the combining form of the root word and cardi is
considered the “root”
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Suffix – Word part found at the end of a
word. Usually indicates procedure,
condition, disease or disorder.
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Hepat/itis: Hepat is the root – which means liver.
-itis is the suffix which refers to inflammation of. So
put the 2 together and you get inflammation of the
liver.
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Terminology can be difficult to learn.
There aren’t many of “rules” to follow
ONE important rule to remember however
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If your suffix begins with a vowel (a,e,i,o,u) then you
must DROP the combining vowel “o”
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Example: Hepatitis (Inflammation of the liver)
Hepat/o is the combining form for liver (root word)
-itis is the suffix for “inflammation of”
We drop the “o” at the end of hepat/o to put it
together with –itis.
We would NOT write hepatoitis.
HOW TO STUDY TERMINOLOGY
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Word association – Trying to remember a
word but associating it with something else.
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Flash Cards – Flash cards are an excellent
tool to use. Put the suffix, root word, prefix,
etc. on one side of the card and the
definition on the other side of the word.
STUDY TOOLS CONT.
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Study groups – Get together with your coworkers and study together. Can quiz each
other.
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Notes – Leave your co-workers notes using
terminology.
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Reading Medical Records – Reading
medical records can be a huge help in
studying. Reading what is written around a
terminology word, can aide you in figuring out
what the word actually means.
STUDY TOOLS ETC.
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Technical Journals/Magazines –
Read articles related to the field which
contain medical terminology. This can
help you put the word into context, see
how it is used.
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Strive to learn PARTS of the word –
The goal of terminology is to NOT have
you memorize the entire word – but
prefixes, suffixes, root words,etc. That
way you can break words down to
figure out its’ meaning.
SPELLING
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Does spelling count???
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YES! Even changing 2 letters could change the
meaning of the word.
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Hepatoma – liver mass
Hematoma – mass or collection of blood
Urethras – takes urine from urinary bladder to outside
of body
Ureters – takes urine from kidneys to urinary bladder
Ilium – part of pelvic bone
Ileum – Distal part of the small intestine
PRONUNCIATION
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Takes time and practice!
Listen to how words are pronounced
Use medical dictionaries and textbooks to
learn pronunciation.
Will be variations in geographic location or
personal preference.
ANALYZING MEDICAL TERMS
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Dissect – Analyze the word structurally by dividing
into basic components.
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Begin at the end – Define suffix first, then prefix, then
root(s). If there are (2) roots, then read from left to
right.
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Anatomical order – Body systems – words usually
are built in the order which the organs occur in the
body. Can also represent the order of blood flow
through organs.
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Gastroenteritis – Food passes from stomach into the small
intesitne.
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Terminology takes time to learn – doesn’t
happen overnight.
Continual use of medical terminology –
Speaking, writing, etc – will aide you in
learning terminology.
Break things down into groups – prefixes,
suffixes, root words (and can sub-divide into
organ systems, surgery, procedural, etc)