What is the root?
It is the foundation of the word.
What is the suffix?
The ending of a word.
What is the combining form?
Root + Combining vowel
What is the prefix?
The beginning of a word,
To read a medical term you go backwards. True or false?
True
When should you drop a combining vowel?
When there is a suffix beginning with a vowel.
When should you not drop a combining vowel?
When it's between two roots, even if the next root starts with a vowel. Ex: gastroenterology
aden/o
gland
arthr/o
joint
bi/o
life
carcin/o
cancerous, cancer
Inflammation of a gland
aden/itis
arthr/itis
inflammation of a joint
cardi/o
heart
cephal/o
head
cardi/o/logy
study of the heart
pertaining to the head
cephal/ic
cerebr/o
cerebrum (largest part of the brain)
cerebr/al
pertaining to the cerebrum
cis/o
to cut
crin/o
to secrete
cyst/o
bladder (urinary bladder when by itself)
cyt/o
cell
derm/o or dermat/o
skin
in/cis/ion
process of (-ion) cutting (cis/o) into (in-)
translate endocrine gland
secreting (crin/o) glands within (endo-)
encephal/o
brain
combining form of intestines (usually the small intestines)
enter/o
combining form of red
erythr/o
translate red cell/red blood cell
erythr/o/cyte
combining form of sugar
glyc/o
gnos/o
knowledge
combining form of woman, female
gynec/o
translate study of women/women's health
gynec/o/logy
combining form of blood
hemat/o, hem/o
combining form of liver
hepat/o
iatr/o
treatment, physician
combining form of white
leuk/o
translate white cell/ white blood cell
leuk/o/cyte
study of
log/o
combining form of kidney
nephr/o, ren/o
neur/o
nerve
onc/o
tumor (cancerous)
combining form of eye
ophthalm/o
combining form of bone
oste/o
combining form of disease
path/o
translate inflammation of bone's joint
oste/o/arthr/itis
combining form of child
ped/o
translate physician for children
ped/iatr/ic
combining form of mind
psych/o
radi/o
x-rays
combining form of nose
rhin/o (think of rhinoplasty)
sarc/o
flesh
sect/o
to cut
combining form of clot, clotting
thromb/o
ur/o
urinary tract, urine
-ac
pertaining to
-al
pertaining to
-algia
pain
suffix for cell
-cyte
suffix for an excision, cutting to remove, removal
-ectomy
suffix for blood condition
-emia