Medical Terminology
Systems
Chapter 1
Basic Word Structure
CHAPTER SECTIONS
I .
Word Analysis
II .
Combining Forms, Suffixes, and Picture
III. Exercise
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
•
•
To divide medical terms in to component parts
To analyze, pronounce, and spell medical terms
using common combining forms ,suffixes, and
prefixes
Chapter 1
Basic Elements of a Medical
Word
Medical Word Elements
Specialized vocabulary used by
health-care practitioners
A medical word consists of:
Word root
Combining form
Suffix
Prefix
Word Roots
The core of a medical term
Contains the fundamental
meaning
Most are derived from Greek or
Latin
Ex. Greek word derm and Latin word
cutane both refer to the skin
Examples of Word Roots
Greek or Latin Word Root
Meaning
Word
Nephros (Gr)
Nephr
Kidney
Oris (L)
Or
Mouth
Renes (L)
Ren
Kidney
Dermatos (Gr)
Derm
Skin
The two combining forms are GASTR/O and ENTER/O. The entire
word ( reading from the suffix, back to the beginning of the term,
and across) means “study of the stomach and the intestine. “ Here
are other words that are divided into component parts:
GASTR/O/SCOPE
Combining form
(“stomach”)
suffix
(“instrument to visually
examine”)
mean “instrument to visually examine the stomach”.
Combining Form
Word root to which a vowel is
added
Enables two elements to be
connected
Examples of Combining
Forms
Word
Root
Gastr
Vowel
O
Combining Meaning
Form
Gastr/o
stomach
Hepat
O
Hepat/o
Liver
Immun
O
Immun/o
Oste
O
Oste/o
Immune,
safe
bone
COMBINNING FORMS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMGINING
FORM
MEDICAL
MEANING
TERM
MEANING
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Aden/o
gland
adenoma_________________________
adenitis _________________________
-ITIS means “inflammation.”
Arthr/o
joint
arthritis__________________________
Bi/o
life
biology__________________________
-LOGY mean “study of “.
biopsy _________________________
-OPSY means “to view.” Living tissue is
removed and viewed under a microsope.
Carcin/o
heart
carcinoma____________________________
cancerous
Cardi/o
heart
Cardiology___________________________
Cephal/o
head
cephalic____________________________
-IC mean “pertaining to.”
Cerebr/o
cerebrum,
cerebral____________________________
largest part
-AL means “pertaining to, ”Figure 1-1 shows the
of the brain
cerebrum and some of its functions.
cerebrovascular accident (CVA___________
-VASCULAR means “pertaining to blood
vessels”; a CVA is commonly known as a
stroke.
Cyst/o
urinary
cystoscope__________________________
Cyt/o
cell
cytology_______________________________
Dermat/o
skin
dermatitis____________________________
Derm/o
Electr/o
dermal______________________________
electricity
electrocardiogram (ECG,EKG)_____________
-GRAM means “record.”
Encephal/o
brain
electroencephalogram (EEG)_____________
This record is helpful in determining if a patient
has a seizure disorder, such a epilepsy.
Enter/o
intestine
enteritis_____________________________
(often the
Figure 1-4shows the small and large intestines.
small
ENTER/O is used to describe the small
intestine)
intestine and COLON/O are the combining for
the large intestine (colon).
Erythr/o
red
erythrocyte
-CYTE means “cell.” Figure 1-5 shows the three major
types of blood cells.
Gastr/o
stomach
Gastroscopy_______________________________
-SCOPY means “process of viewing.”
Gnos/o
knowledge diagnosis_______________________________
-SIS means “state of”; DIA-means “complete.”
A diagnosis is the complete knowledge gained
after testing and examining the patient. The
Plural of diagnosis is diagnoses Table 1-1 shows
other plural formatiions.
prognosis__________________________
PRO- means “before.” A prognosis is a prediction
(“before knowledge”) that is actually made after
the diagnosis. It forecasts the outcome of
treatment.
Gynec/o
woman
gynecology ----------------------------------------
Suffixes
Word element placed at the end of
a word or word root that changes
the meaning of the word
A suffix usually indicates a
procedure, condition, disease, or
part of speech
Examples of Suffixes
Combining
Form
Gastr/o
(stomach)
Suffix
-itis
Medical
word
Gastritis
(inflammation)
Meaning
Inflammation
of the
stomach
-megaly
Gastromegaly Enlargement
of the
stomach
-oma
Gastroma
Tumor of the
stomach
The following table consists of suffixes showing disease or change in the body.
Suffix
Meaning
Example
-algia
pain
talalgia
ankle
-cele
hernia
gastrocele
stomach
-dynia
pain,
swelling
urodynia
urine
-ectasis
dilation,
expansion
bronchiolectasis
bronchus
-(a)emia
blood
leuk(a)emia
white
-gen
producing,
beginning
carcinogen
cancer
-iasis
abnormal condition, formation of, presence of
cholelithiasis
gall stone
-itis
inflammation
hepatitis
stomach
-malacia
softening
osteomalacia
bone
-megaly
enlargement
splenomegaly
spleen
-oid
resemble
fibroid
fibres
-oma
tumour
adenoma
gland
-osis
abnormal condition,
dermatosis
skin
Suffix
Meaning
Example
-pathy
disease
nephropathy
kidney
-penia
decrease,
deficiency
erthyropenia
red (cell)
-phagia
eating,
swallowing
dysphagia
difficult
-phasia
speech
aphasia
without
-plegia
paralysis,
stroke
hemiplegia
half
-phobia
fear
acrophobia
heights
-ptosis
prolapse, falling
dropping
blepharoptosis
eyelid
-rrhage
burst forth
haemorrhage
blood
-rrhea
discharge,
flow of watery stools
diarrhea
-rrhexis
rupture
enterorrhexis
intestines
-sclerosis
hardening
artheriosclerosis
joints
-spasm
involuntary
contraction,
twitching
bronchospasm
bronchus
Suffixes used for diagnoses
Suffix
Meaning
Example
-gram
record of data
encephalogram
brain
-graph
instrument for recording cardiograph
heart
-graphy
act of recording data
radiography
-meter
instrument for
measuring
craniometer
cranium
-metry
measurement of
audiometry
audio (hearing)
-scope
instrument for viewing
laryngoscope
larynx
-scopy
examination of
laparoscopy
abdomen
Suffixes: Surgery-incisions
These suffixes describe types of incisions made during surgery.
Suffix
-ectomy
Meaning
removal
-centesis
tap, puncture
-stomy
mouth, forming an
opening
incision,
to cut into
-tomy
Example
mastectomy
breast
thoracentesis
chest
colostomy
colon
tracheotomy
trachea
The following suffixes also describe surgery in terms of repairing, rebuilding,
reconstructing, or binding
Suffix
Meaning
Example
-desis
binding ,
stabilization
pleurodesis
pleural membrane (lining
of the lung)
-rrhapy
suture
arteriorrhaphy
artery
-pexy
fixation,
suspension
gastropexy
stomach
-plasty
formation,
plastic repair
rhinoplasty
nose
-clasis
to break down,
refracture
osteoclasis
bone
-lysis
loosen, free
form adhesions,
destruction
enterolysis
small intestine
-tripsy
to crush
cholelithotripsy
The following suffixes show the word parts. In other words, these suffixes show whether a word is an
adjective, noun, singular or plural or a diminutuve of a larger word.
Adjective endings that mean "pertaining to" are:
Adjective endings
Example
-ac
cadiac
heart
-al
skeletal
skeleton
-ary
salivary
saliva
-ic
pelvic
pelvis
-ical
surgical
surgery
-ous
venous
vein
-tic
paralytic
paralysis
-ar
muscular
muscles
Nouns endings
These suffixes show the word is a noun.
Noun endings
-iac
Meaning
Example
indicates person afflicted hemophiliac
with certain diseases or
conditions
-ia
-is
-ism
an unhealthy state
forms the noun from the
root
condition, state of being
-ist
one who specialises
-y
condition, process
anesthesia
cutis
skin
alcholism
alcohol
radiologist
radiology
neuropathy
nervous system
disease
These suffixes show the word is a small version of a thing.
Diminutive
Meaning
ending
-ole
-icle
-ule
small, little
minute
Example
artiole
artery
particle
piece
veinule
vein
These suffixes indicate whether the noun is singular or plural.
Singular
Plural
Example
Example
Singular
Plural
a
ae
patella
patellae
ax
aces
thorax
throraces
en
ina
lumen
lumina
ix
ices
index
indices
sis
ses
diagnosis
diagnoses
on
a
ganglion
ganglia
um
a
ovum
ova
us
i
digitus
digiti
y
ies
deformity
deformities
ma
mata
carcinoma
carcinomata
ex
Prefixes
Word element attached to the
beginning of a word or word root
A prefix usually indicates a
number, time, position, direction,
or negation
Examples of Prefixes
Prefix
Word
Root
Hyper- Therm
(above (heat)
normal)
Suffix
Meaning
Hyperthermia Condition
of
(condition)
excessive
heat
-ia
Intramuscular Within
the
(muscle) (relating
muscle
Intra- Muscul -ar
(in,
within)
Medical
Word
to)
Insert table 3-1
Basic Rules
Defining Medical Words
Building Medical Words
Defining Medical Words
Rule #1
Define the suffix or last part of the
word
Rule #2
Define the first part of the word
(word, root, combining form, or
prefix)
Rule #3
Define the middle parts of the word
Example of Defining Rules
“Gastroenteritis”
Combining
Form
Gastr/o
Stomach
Rule 2
Middle
Enter/
Intestine
Rule 3
Suffix
-itis
inflammation
Rule 1
Definition – inflammation of the
stomach and intestine
Building Medical Words
Rule #1
A word root links a suffix that begins with
a vowel
Example
Hepat/ + -itis = hepatitis
– Inflammation of the liver
Rule #2
A combining form links a suffix that begins
with a consonant
Example
Hepat/o +
– Liver cell
cyte
= hepatocyte
Building Medical Words
Rule #3
Use a combining form to link a root
to another root to form a compound
word
Example
Oste/o + chondr/
=osteochondritis
+ -itis
– Inflammation of bone and cartilage
Notice how the following medical term is analyzed. Can you locate the
two combining forms in this term?
GASTRO/O/ENTER/O/LOGY
Root
(“stomach”)
root
(“intestines”)
suffix
(“study of”)
ELECTR/O/CARDI/O/GRAM
root
(“electricity”)
root
(“heart”)
combining vowel
suffix
(“record”)
combining vowel