medical terminology

Word Root

The main part or stem of a word that conveys the essential meaning and frequently indicates a body part.

Prefix

A component that appears at the beginning of a word, generally describing location and intensity, and giving the word root a specific meaning.

Suffix

A component that is placed at the end of words, usually indicating a procedure, condition, disease, or part of speech.

Combining Vowel

The part of a term that connects a word root to a suffix or another word root, usually represented by the vowels "o," "i," or "e," and helps ease the pronunciation of the term.

Word-Building Rules

Rules that summarize the placement of components in medical terms, including the position of prefixes and suffixes, the use of combining vowels, and the placement of multiple word roots.

Plural Endings

Rules for converting singular medical terms to their plural forms, including changes in endings such as "a" to "ae," "is" to "es," "ex" or "ix" to "ices," "on" or "um" to "a," and "us" to "i."

Special Word Parts

Prefixes used to indicate numbers, colors, positions, directions, and locations in medical terms.

Directional Terms

Terms used to describe the position, relationship, and location of body parts, including right and left, superior and inferior, lateral and medial, proximal and distal, superficial and deep, ventral and dorsal, palmar and plantar, and apex.

Movement Terms

Terms used to describe the movement of joints, including flexion, extension, adduction, and abduction.

Anatomic Positions

Terms used to describe the position of the body, including prone, supine, and Fowler position.

Breaking Terms Apart

The process of analyzing a medical term by defining the suffix, prefix, and word root in order to understand its meaning.

Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Symbols

Shortened forms of words, phrases, or symbols used in medical communication and documentation, including abbreviations, acronyms, and symbols, which should be used with caution to avoid confusion and errors.