Ch. 1 Introduction to medical terminology

Origin of medical terminology

• Latin for anatomy

• Greek for diseases and surgical procedures

Primary accent for (‘)

Used in syllable that has strongest stress

Secondary accent ('“)

Used in syllable that has moderate stress

Macron (-)

Long vowel sound

Breve (˘)

Indicates a short vowel sound

Schwa (ə)

Indicates uncolored, central vowel sound - unstressed

ante-, pro-

before

anti-

against

ecto-

outer, outside

endo-

within/inner

hyper-

above, excessive

hypo-

below, under

inter-

between

intra-

within

para-

beside

per-

through

peri-

around

pre-

before, infront

super-, supra-

above

ex-

out

a-

without

-poiesis

formation

-ptosis

prolapse, droop, sag

-ptysis

spitting

-rrhage, -rrhagia

to burst, bursting

-rrhea

flow, discharge

-rrhexis

to rupture

-scope

exam instrument

-scopy

visial exam

-tomy

incision

-tripsy

brushing

-trophy

nourishment, develop

-ity, -osis, -ism, -hexia

condition

-centesis

surgical puncture

-sepsis

decay, infection

-ectomy

removal of

Prefix

To fix or to fix the beginning of a word

Suffix

To fasten on, beneath, under. Syllable(s) at end added to alter/modify the meaning

Word root

Word/element from which other words are formed convets the central meaning

Combining form

Word root to which a voewl is added, links word to suffix or root + root

febrile

fever

litho-

stone

-stomy

new opening

necr/o

death

-rraphy

suture

-grade

a step

-phoresis

to carry

-ous, -ic, -ary, -al, -ar

pertaining to

cis/o

to cut

eti/o

cause

macr/o

large

malign/o

bad kind

onc/o

tumor

path/o

disease

pyr/o

fire, heat

radi/o

x-ray

therm/o

heat, hot

ab-

away

cac-

abnormal, ill

centi-

100

dia-

across, through

dis-

not, opposite

epi-

upon

hetero-

different

homo-

same

in-

in, into

syn-

together, with

adhes

stuck to

axill

armpit

dem

people

format

shaping

gen, gene

formation, production

maxim

greatest

minim

least

morbid

sick

norm

rule

prophylact

guarding

pyret

fever

tuss

cough

-drome

that which runs together

-ion

process

-ant

forming

-meter

measure

-opsy

to view

-ive

nature of

-an

without