Medical Assisting Vocab

word root

The foundation of a word that gives it meaning, also describes the part of the body involved

What Languages does medical terminology come from

Latin and Greek

What are the parts of a medical term

prefix, a word root, a suffix

When do you use a combining vowel?

A combining vowel is used when the suffix begins with a consonant and/or when two or more word roots are joined together

When do you not use a combining vowel?

when the suffix already begins with a vowel

cyan

blue

erythr

red

leuk

white

melan

black

polr

gray

cardi

heart

gastr

stomach

neur

nerve

hem

blood

enter

small intenstine

cerebr

brain

cyst

bladder

dermat

skin

onc

tumor

path

disease

psych

mind

ren

kidney

ur

urine

epi

above

-ic

pertaining to

hemi

half

Puresis

paralysis, weakness

retro

behind

-ac

pertaining to

amino

amniotic fluid

rhino

nose

plasty

surgical repair

oste

bone

-necrosis

tissue death

-cyte

cells

eu

good normal, well, easy

-phoria

feeling or mental state

dys

abnormal, difficult, bad

hypo

below

-thermia

tempature

mast

breast

-ectomy

surgical removal

endo

within

crin

secerte

phagia

eating, swallowing

a

without

phasia

speaking

neo

new

plasia

growth

my

muscle

ocul

eye

ot

ear

aden

gland

pneum

lungs

metr/i

uterus

didym

testes

prefix

added to beginning of the word to influence the meaning of the word root ends with dash, indicates, location, time, number or status, negation, direction

peri

around

a

without

ecto

outside of

hemi

half

epi

above

bi

two

endo

inside of

micro

small

poly

many

dis

apart

ex

out of

neo

new

retro

behind 

semi

half

sub

below

trans

through

dys

abnormal

hyper

above,excessive

inter

between

pre

before

tachy

fast

ab

to move away

ad

to move toward

eu

normal, good

hypo

below

intra

within

post

after

brady

slow

an

without

ante

before

pre

before

ante

before

contra

agasint

di

two

dys

bad

mal

bad

ex

outside

-meagaly

enlargment

-algia

pain and suffering

-itis

inflammation

-ectomy

surgical removal of

-necrosis

tissue death

-osis

abnormal condition