medical terminology vocabulary

- chapter 1: intro to medical terminology

aden/o

gland

endocrine glands

produce hormones (do not have ducts) that secrete directly into the bloodstream (and then transported to organs and structures throughout the body

endothelium

tissue that lines the blood and lymph vessels, body cavities, glands, and organs

dense connective tissues (bone and cartilage)

form the joins and framework the body

adipose tissue (aka fat)

provides protective padding, insulation, and support

loose connective tissue

Holds organs in blase and binds tissue together

fluid connective tissues (aka blood and lymph)

transport nutrients and waste producs throughout the body

four main types of tissue

epithelial, connective, muscle, nerve tissue

muscle tissue

contains cells with specialized ability to contract and relax

nerve tissue

contains cells with the specialized ability to react to stimuli and to conduct electrical impulses

plas/i, plas/o, -plasia

development, growth, formation

poster/o

behind, toward the back

-stasis

maintenance of a constant level

-pathy

disease, suffering, feeling, emotion

contamination

a pathogen is possibly present; occurs through a lack of proper hygiene standards (or by failure to take appropriate infection control precautions)

communicable disease (contagious disease)

any condition transmitted from one person to another via direct or indirect contact with contaminated objects

transmission

the spread of disease

-ology

the science or study of

-ologist

specialist

hist/o

tissue

end- or endo-

in, within, inside

exo

out of, outside, away from

py/o

pus

pyel/o

renal pelvis (part of the kidney)

pyelitis

inflammation of the renal pelivs

pyr/o

fever or fire

adip/o

fat

angi/o

blood vessel

anter/o

before, front

arteri/o

artery

arthr/o

joint

blephar/o

eyelid

bronch/o

bronchus

cardi/o

heart

cephal/o

head

colon/o or col/o

colon, large intenstine

cyan/o

blue

cyst/o

bladder

dermat/o

skin

encephal/o

brain

enter/o

small intestine

erythr/o

red

gastr/o

stomach

gingiv/o

gums

gloss/o

tongue

hemat/o

blood

hepat/o

liver

hyster/o

uterus

lapar/o

abdomen abdominal wall

laryng/o

larynx

leuk/o

white

mamm/o

breast

mast/o

breast

melan/o

black

my/o

muscle

myel/o

bone marrow, spinal cord

nephr/o

kidney

neur/o

nerve, nervous system

oophor/o

ovary

opthalm/o

eye

orchi/o

testicle

osteo/o

bone

ot/o

ear

path/o

disease

pharyng/o

pharynx (throat)

Phleb/o

Vein

ren/o

kidney

rhin/o

nose

salping/o

fallopian tube

splen/o

spleen

stomat/o

mouth

thyr/o

thyroid gland

vascul/o

blood vessel

-al

pertainging to

-ac

pertaining to

-ary

pertaining to

-ic

pertaining to

-ous

pertaining to

-eal

pertaining to

-algia

pain, suffering

-dynia

pain

-ectomy

surgical removal, cutting out

-gram

picture or record

hyper-

excessive, increased

hypo-

deficient, decreased

-itis

inflammation

-osis

abnormal condition, disease

-ostomy

surgical creation of an artificial opening to the body surface

pre-

before, in front of

-plasty

surgical repair

-rrhage

bleeding, abnormal excessive fluid discharge

-rrhaphy

surgical suturing

-rrhea

flow or discharge

-sclerosis

abnormal hardening

abdominocentesis

needle or catheter is inserted thru abdominal wall into peritoneal cavity to withdraw fluid

acute

condition with rapid onset, severe course, and a relatively short duration

angiography

process of producing x-ray of blood vessels after injection of contrast medium to make the blood vessels visible

appendectomy

surgical removal of the appendix

arteriosclerosis

abnormal hardening of the walls of an artery or arteries

arthralgia

pain in joint(s)