Medical Terminology and Clinical Word Building

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering medical combining forms, roots, psychiatric disorders, therapeutic modalities, and clinical definitions across all 13 course transcript sources.

OD

Right Eye

OS

Left Eye

ambly/o-

Dimness

blephar/o-

Eyelid

dacry/o-

Lacrimal sac; tears

presby/o-

Old age

acous/o-

Hearing; sound

incud/o-

Incus (anvil-shaped bone)

malle/o-

Malleus (hammer-shaped bone)

staped/o-

Stapes (stirrup-shaped bone)

myring/o-

Tympanic membrane (eardrum)

turbin/o-

Scroll-like structure; turbinate

adnex/o-

Accessory connecting parts

amni/o-

Amnion (fetal membrane)

colp/o-

Vagina

salping/o-

Uterine (fallopian) tube

balan/o-

Glans penis

crypt/o-

Hidden

didym/o-

Testes (twin structures)

Anorexia nervosa

A serious eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image, leading to severe food restriction and significant weight loss

Delirium tremens (DTs)

A severe, potentially life-threatening form of alcohol withdrawal that typically occurs 48-72 hours after abrupt cessation of heavy alcohol use, characterized by rapid onset confusion, agitation, and hallucinations

Dementia

A general term that describes a range of symptoms associated with a decline in cognitive function severe enough to interfere with daily life, commonly associated with memory loss but also affecting language, problem-solving, and other cognitive abilities

Euphoria

A feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness

Tourette syndrome

A neurological disorder characterized by involuntary motor and vocal tics that usually begin in childhood

Kleptomania

A rare impulse control disorder in which a person repeatedly feels an irresistible urge to steal items they don't need or could afford, often followed by guilt or shame

Bulimia nervosa

A potentially life-threatening eating disorder that involves a cycle of binge eating and purging, often consuming large amounts of food in secret, followed by behaviors to prevent weight gain such as self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, fasting, or excessive exercise

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

A therapy most effective when treating anxiety disorders, general stress, bulimia, anger-related disorders, somatic symptom disorder, depression, and substance use disorders

Play therapy

A therapy shown to be very effective in children ages 3 to 12 years, though increasingly used in people of all ages

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

Created to treat symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD); consists of four modules: core mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance

affer/o-

Bring toward the center

effer/o-

Go out from the center

astr/o-

Starlike structure

concuss/o-

Violent shaking or jarring

syncop/o-

Fainting

radicul/o-

Spinal nerve root

palliat/o-

Cloaked

terat/o-

Monster

rhabd/o-

Rod

Lethargic

Having little energy; feeling unwilling and unable to do anything

Albumin

A substance essential for fluid balance that binds and transports hormones, fatty acids, vitamins, metal ions, and medications; monitoring its levels helps detect liver or kidney dysfunction, malnutrition, and dehydration

Ketones

Acids produced by the liver when your body breaks down fat for energy due to low glucose availability

Calyx

Cuplike areas or structures in animal or plant anatomy

enur/o-

To urinate

olig/o-

Scanty; few

pyel/o-

Renal pelvis

celi/o-

Belly, abdomen

polyp/o-

A tumor with a pedicle (many footed)

-prandial

Meal

-iasis

Abnormal condition

Emesis

Vomit; stomach contents expelled through mouth

Sublingual

Under the tongue

Ulcer

Sore or lesion of the mucous membrane or skin

Hernia

A protrusion of an organ or part of an organ through the wall of the cavity that contains it

Dyspepsia

Difficult digestion

Dysphagia

Difficulty swallowing

Dysphasia

Difficulty speaking

Aphagia

Inability to swallow

Calculi

Stones