CUR 350 Lecture 2: Basic Medical Terms

Vocabulary flashcards generated from CUR 350 Lecture 2 covering common medical suffixes, surgical procedure suffixes, verb stems, adjective modifiers, pronunciation homonyms, color and number prefixes, and medical terminology rules.

Nephron

A functional unit of the kidney.

Glottis

The noun form for the voice box.

Neoplastic

Pertaining to new growth.

Carcinogenesis

The condition of producing a crab-like growth (cancer) in the body.

-gram

A suffix meaning a record or recording of something.

-graph

A suffix meaning an instrument used to record.

-graphy

A suffix meaning the process or procedure of using an instrument to record.

Chlamydia

A word derived from the Greek "chlamys" (cloak), expressing a cloak-like development on the body's tissues.

Sinusitis

An inflammation or infection of a body cavity, such as the frontal or maxillary sinuses.

Pleurisy

An inflammation of the double-layered serous membrane that covers the lung.

Pleura

A word root meaning rib or side.

Ventricle

A small, belly-like structure, derived from the Greek "ventros" meaning belly.

Cerebellum

Meaning small brain, it is the primitive brain located behind and below the cerebrum.

Scoliosis

A condition of lateral curvature of the spine from the midline of the body to the right or left.

Lordosis

A condition of swayback of the spine, moving it anteriorly.

Kyphosis

A condition of thoracic spine curvature resulting in a posterior protrusion or hunchback.

-centesis

Surgical puncture of a body part to remove fluid.

-ectomy

The process of cutting something out from the body or body part, composed of EC (out from), TOM (cutting), and Y (procedure of).

-opexy

A surgical suffix meaning fixating, positioning, or reattaching a body part.

-oplasty

A surgical suffix meaning the process of reforming, reshaping, or redeveloping.

-orrhaphy

A surgical suffix meaning surgical suturing or repair of something by suturing.

-otomy

A surgical suffix meaning the process of cutting or making an incision into the body.

-ostomy

A surgical suffix meaning the process of cutting or forming a mouth-like structure or new opening.

-otripsy

A surgical suffix meaning the surgical crushing or destruction of something in the body.

-odesis

A surgical suffix meaning to bind or bind together and stabilize something in the body.

-clasis

A word part meaning the breakdown of something.

Hemostasis

A state in which bleeding has ceased or is controlled.

Triage

A French term meaning the sorting of casualties or patients.

Neuralgia

Nerve pain.

Causalgia

The condition of feeling a burning, painful sensation.

Cytoclasis

The action of breaking down a cell.

Lymphedema

The condition of swollen lymph nodes.

Anesthesia

The loss of physical sensation with or without the loss of consciousness.

Euphoria

A good mental feeling or state of well-being.

Kinesiology

The process of studying movement or body movement.

Anosmia

The inability to smell or being without smell.

Parturition

The act of giving birth.

Dystocia

The act of having a difficult birth.

Dyspepsia

Having difficulty digesting.

Phagocytosis

An increase in phagocytes in the body or white blood cells eating other cells in the body.

Quadriplegia

Paralysis of four limbs.

Apnea

Lack of breathing or having difficulty breathing.

Hematopoiesis

Making or producing blood cells in the body.

Splanchnoptosis

The drooping or falling of an organ.

Menorrhagia

Abnormal bleeding during the month or having a heavy menstrual flow.

Volvulus

Something twisted in the body, usually referring to the intestine.

Cryptorchidism

Hidden testes or testes that have not descended into the scrotal sac.

Homeopath

Someone who administers small amounts of a harmful substance to cause minimal bodily signs and symptoms over a long period of time to build up body resistance.

Hydrocephalus

Cerebrospinal fluid buildup in brain cavities.

Megacolon

An enlarged part of the small or large intestine.

Hepatomegaly

Enlargement of the liver to a great extent.

Peristalsis

Involuntary muscle movements of the intestines creating wave-like movements that push contents forward.

Ilium

Spelled I-L-I-U-M, meaning the hip bone or flank area of the body.

Ileum

Spelled I-L-E-U-M, referring to the third part of the small intestine and literally meaning twisted.

Leiomyoma

A smooth-muscle tumor.

Erythrocyte

A red blood cell.

Cyanosis

The condition of blueness on the skin caused by poor circulation or lack of oxygen.

Melanoma

A black tumor.

Cirrhosis

A condition of a damaged liver resulting in jaundice or yellow skin.

Nanometer

One-billionth of a meter, used to measure bacteria, viruses, and other etiologic disease organisms.