Mastering Healthcare Terminology 6th Edition-Chapter 1

combining form

A word root with an added vowel that can be joined with other words, roots, or suffixes to form a new word.

word root

word origin

Combinig vowel

a letter sometimes used to join word part. Usually an "o" but occasionally an "a," "e," "I," or "u."

Suffixes

Word part that appears at the end of a term. Are used to indicate whether the term is an anatomic, pathologic, diagnostic, or therapeutic intervention term.

Prefixes

word part that sometimes appears at the beginning of a term . Are use to further define the absence, location, number, quantity, or state of the term.

nondecodable terms

words used in medicine whose definitions must be memorized without the benefit of word parts

Cataracts

clouding of the lens or progressive opacification of the lens.

Asthma

a respiratory disorder characterized by recurring episodes of paroxysmal dyspnea (difficult breathing)

diagnosis

the disease or condition that is named after a healthcare professional evaluates a patient's

Prognosis

a prediction of the probable outcome of a disease or disorder

Sequela

A condition that results from a injury or disease

chronic

Developing slowly and lasting for a long time.

sign

an objective finding of a disease state

symptom

subjective report of a disease (pain, itching)

eponym

terms that are named after a person or place associated with the term

simple abbreviations

a combination of letters and sometimes numbers- IM (intramuscular) C2 (second cervical vertebra)

Acronyms

abbreviations that are also pronounceable

Symbols

graphic representation of terms

CARD method

Check, Assign, Reverse, Define

-icle, -ole, -ule

small, tiny

-is

structure, thing

-um

structure, thing, membrane

-y

process of condition

-ac, -al, -ar, -ary, -eal, -ic, -ous

pertaining to (suffix)

-algia, -dynia

pain (suffix)

-cele

herniation

-emia

blood condition

-ia

condition

-itis

inflammation

-malacia

softening

-megaly

enlargement

-oma

tumor, mass

-osis

abnormal condition

-pathy

disease process

-ptosis

prolapse, drooping, sagging

-rrhage, -rrhagia

bursting forth

-rrhea

discharge, flow

-rrhexis

rupture

-sclerosis

abnormal condition of hardening

-stenosis

abnormal condition of narrowing

-graphy

process of recording

-metry

process of measuring

-opsy

process of viewing

-scopy

process of viewing

-centesis

surgical puncture

-ectomy

excision, removal, resection

-plasty

surgical repair

-rrhaphy

suture, repair

-stomy

new opening

-tomy

incision, cutting

-tripsy

crushing

-graph

instrument to record

-meter

instrument to measure

-tome

instrument to cut

-tripter

machine to crush

-trite

instrument to crush

-er

one who

-iatrician, -iatrist

one who specializes in treatment

-iatrics

treatment

-ist

one who specializes

-logist

one who specializes in the study of

-logy

study of

a-, an-

no, not, without

ante-

before, in front of, forward

anti-

against

dys-

abnormal, difficult, painful, bad

endo-, end-, intra-

within

epi-

above, upon

hyper-

excessive, above

hypo-

below, deficient

inter-

between

neo-

new

par-

near, beside

para-

beside, near, abnormal

per-

through

peri-

surrounding, around

poly-

many, much, excessive, frequent

post-

after, behind

pre-

before, in front of

sub-

under, below

trans-

through, across

-a

-ae

-is

-es

-ix or -ex

-ices

-itis

-itides

-nx

-nges

-um

-a

-us

-i

-y

-ies

eu

you

ph

f (fill)

pn

n (no)

ps

s (sort)

pt

t (top)

rh, rrh

r (row)

x

z (zoo)

arteri/o

artery

athr/o

joint

bacteri/o

bacteria

bi/o

life, living