Chapter 1: Basic Word Structure - Medical Terminology Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering the basics of medical term structure, including roots, suffixes, prefixes, and common combining forms from Chapter 1.

Root

The essential meaning of the term

Suffix

Word ending

Prefix

Small part added to the beginning of the term

Combining vowel

Connects roots to suffixes and roots to other roots

Combining form

The combination of the root and the combining vowel

General Rule for Reading Medical Terms

Read the meaning from the suffix back to the beginning of the term and then across

Rule for Dropping Combining Vowels

Drop the combining vowel before a suffix beginning with a vowel (e.g., gastritis not gastroitis)

Rule for Keeping Combining Vowels

Keep the combining vowel between word roots (e.g., gastroenterology not gastrenterology)

ELECTR/O/CARDI/O/GRAM

Record of electricity in the heart

SUB/GASTR/IC

Pertaining to under the stomach

aden/o

gland

arthr/o

joint

bi/o

life

carcin/o

cancer, cancerous

cardi/o

heart

cephal/o

gland

cerebr/o

cerebrum, largest part of the brain

cyst/o

urinary bladder

cyt/o

cell

derm/o

skin

dermat/o

skin

electr/o

electricity

encephal/o

brain

enter/o

intestines (often the small intestines)

erythr/o

red

gastr/o

stomach

gnos/o

knowledge

gynec/o

woman, female

hem/o

blood

hemat/o

blood

hepat/o

liver

lapar/o

abdomen

leuk/o

white

nephr/o

kidney

neur/o

nerve

onc/o

tumor

ophthalm/o

eye

oste/o

bone

path/o

disease

psych/o

mind

ren/o

kidney

rhin/o

nose

sarc/o

flesh

thromb/o

clotting

-al

pertaining to

-algia

pain

-cyte

cell

-ectomy

cutting out; removal, excision

-emia

blood condition

-globin

protein

-gram

record

-ia

condition

-ic

pertaining to

-ism

condition, process

-itis

inflammation

-logist

specialist in the study of

-logy

study of

-oma

tumor, mass

-opsy

process of viewing

-osis

abnormal condition

-scope

instrument to visually examine

-scopy

process of visual examination

-sis

state of

-tomy

process of cutting into (incision)

a-, an-

no, not

aut-

self

dia-

complete, through

dys-

bad, painful, difficult, abnormal

endo-

within

epi-

above, upon, on

exo-

outside

hyper-

excessive, more than normal, too much

hypo-

below, less than normal, under

pan-

all

peri-

surrounding

pro-

before, forward

re-

back

retro-

behind

sub-

below, under

trans-

across, through

Cardiac

Pertaining to the heart

Neuralgia

Nerve pain

Anemia

Condition caused by a deficiency of hemoglobin

Cytology

Study of cells

Cephalic

Position where infants are born head first

Adenitis

Inflammation of a gland

Carcinoma

Malignant diagnosis