Language of Medicine Chapter 1 &3

prefix

attached to beginning of a medical term to modify the unique meaning derived from a root

often indicates number, direction, orientation, time, negation

root

fundamental meaning of a medical term; core of the word

suffix

word ending, attached to the end of a root to modify its meaning

often indicates a procedure, instrument, condition of, or study of

combining vowel

used to ease pronunciation, usually an “o”

not used to connect prefix and a root word

used to connect two root words or a word root and a suffix

hemat

blood

-logy

process of studying

hematology

the process of studying blood

electr

electricity

cardi

heart

-gram

record of information generated from an analyzer

electrocardiogram

a tool used to measure the electrical signals that travel through your heart

medical terms without a root

apnea, anemia

gastr

stomach

-itis

inflammation

sub

under

-ic

pertaining to

still used

if vowels are present at the junction of two word roots(such as oste and arthr) in a medical term, a combining vowel is usually___

-algia

pain

EX: myalgia, neuralgia

-dynia

pain

EX: arthralgia, pleurodynia

-cele

hernia

-centesis

surgical puncture to remove fluid

-coccus (plural: cocci)

berry-shaped bacterium

-cyte

cell

hernia

protrusion of an organ through the cavity that normally contains it

EX: cystocele, rectocele

cyst

urinary tracthi

hiatal hernia

protrusion from stomach to esophagus

inguinalis

groin

inguinalis hernia

hernia of the groin

omphalocele

hernia in umbilicus, navel

aminocentesis

withdrawal of the fluid that surrounds the embryo for chemical analysis, culture, and karyotyping

aden/o

gland

arthr/o

joint

bi/o

life

carcin/o

cancerous, cancer

cardi/o

heart

cephal/o

head

cerebr/o

cerebrum

cis/o

to cut

crin/o

to secrete

cyst/o

urinary bladder

cyt/o

cell

derm/o or dermat/o

skin

electr/o

electricity

encephal/o

brain

enter/o

intestines

erythro/o

red

gastr/o

stomach

glyc/o

sugar

gnos/o

knowledge

gynec/o

woman, female

hemat/o or hem/o

blood

hepat/o

liver

iatr/o

treatment, physician

leuk/o

white

log/o

study of

nephr/o

kidney

neur/o

nerve

onc/o

tumor

ophthalm/o

eye

oste/o

bone

path/o

disease

ped/o

child

psych/o

mind

radi/o

x-rays

ren/o

kidney

rhin/o

nose

sarc/o

flesh

sect/o

to cut

thromb/o

clot,clotting

ur/o

urinary tract, urine

-ac

pertaining to

-al

pertaining to

-ectomy

excision, removal

rectocele

protrusion of a portion of the rectum towards the vaginal wall

streptococcus or staphylococcus

bacteria that grow in chains or clusters

-emia

blood condition

-genesis

condition of producing, forming

anemia

reduction in the number of erythrocytes or amount of hemoglobin in the circulating blood

EX: aplastic___; sickle cell ___; iron deficiency ___

-ectomy

excision, removal

-tomy

incision, cutting into

-stomy

creating or installing a new opening (mouth)

nephrectomy

kidney removal

nephrotomy

kidney incision

nephrostomy

kidney new opening; can be due to a kidney stone

-i

nucleus—> nuclei

latin plural for -us

-ae

vertebra—>vertebrae

latin plural for -a

-a

bacterium—> bacteria

latin plural for -um

streptos

twisted chain

diplococci

two bacteria grouped together; causes pneumonia

staphylos

bunch of bacteria together like grapes

adenoidectomy

removal of small masses of lymphatic tissue located near the nose and nasal passages that may need to be removed if they become enlarged and block the airway from the nose to the pharynx

aplastic anemia

lack of stem cells in bone marrow, which leads to anemia

-graph

instrument for recording

-graphy

process of recording

sickle cell anemia

genetic disorder where you have abnormally shaped hemoglobin cells that are crescent shaped

-lysis

breakdown, destruction, separation

tonsilitis

infected and inflamed tonsils

tonsils

lymphatic tissue in the back of the throat

-malacia

softening