Chapter 5 - Medical Terminology

diaphoretic

What would you call a patient who is sweating?

dyspnea

What condition consists of difficult or labored breathing?

compound

What is a word formed from two or more whole words?

root

What is the foundation of a word that is not a word that can stand on its own?

therm

What root means 'heat'?

combining form

What is a word root with an added vowel that can be joined with other words, roots, or suffixes to form a new word?

thermo

What is the combining form of the root 'therm'?

electr(o)

What root means 'electric'?

cardi(o)

What root means 'heart'?

-gram

What suffix means 'written record'?

electrocardiogram

What is a written record of the heart's electrical activity?

prefix

What is a word part added to the beginning of a root or word to modify or qualify its meaning?

pnea

What root means 'breathing'?

dys-

What prefix means 'painful; difficult'?

tachy-

What prefix means 'rapid; fast'?

tachypnea

What word means 'rapid breathing'?

intra-

What prefix means 'within; inside'?

intraabdominal pain

What is pain within the abdomen?

plegia

What refers to the paralysis of the limbs?

quadri-

What prefix means 'four'?

quadriplegia

What means paralysis of all four limbs?

suffix

What are word parts added to the end of a root or word to complete its meaning?

-itis

What suffix means 'inflammation'?

arthr

What root refers to a joint?

arthritis

What is an inflammation of a joint?

-iac

What suffix indicates a person afflicted with a certain disease?

hemophilia

What is a disorder marked by delayed clotting of the blood?

hemophiliac

Who is someone who suffers from hemophilia?

broncho/pulmo

What root means 'lungs'?

gastro

What root means 'stomach'?

hepat

What root means 'liver'?

neur

What root means 'nerve'?

nas

What root means 'nose; nasal'?

or

What root means 'mouth; oral'?

pneumo

What root means 'air; lungs'?

ab-

What prefix means 'away from'?

ad-

What prefix means 'toward; near'?

ante-

What prefix means 'before'?

brady-

What prefix means 'slow; below normal'?

contra-

What prefix means 'against'?

hyper-

What prefix means 'above normal; high'?

hypo-

What prefix means 'below normal; low'?

inter-

What prefix means 'between'?

peri-

What prefix means 'around'?

poly-

What prefix means 'many'?

post-

What prefix means 'after'?

pre-

What prefix means 'before'?

sub-

What prefix means 'below, under'?

super/supra-

What prefix means 'above; in excess'?

uni-

What prefix means 'one'?

-ac/-al

What suffix means 'pertaining to'?

-algia

What suffix means 'pain'?

-emesis

What suffix means 'vomiting'?

-ology

What suffix means 'study of'?

-rrhea

What suffix means 'discharge'?

-spasm

What suffix means 'contraction'?

-ist

What suffix means 'one who specializes in'?

cardiologist

What refers to someone who specializes in the study of the heart?

chol(e)

What root refers to 'bile'?

cyst

What refers to a closed sac?

cholecystitis

What word refers to inflammation of the gallbladder?

hepatitis

What is inflammation of the liver?

appendicitis

What is inflammation of the appendix?

tonsillitis

What is inflammation of the tonsils?

myocardial infarction

What is the medical term for a heart attack?

anatomy

What is the study of body structure?

physiology

What is the study of body function?

diffusion

What describes the movement of a solute from an area of low concentration to an area of high concentration?

the patient's

The directions 'left' and 'right' always refer to who's left and right?

anatomic position

What is the standard reference position for the body in the study of anatomy?

plane

What is a flat surface formed when slicing through a solid object?

midline

What is an imaginary line drawn down the center of the body, dividing it into right and left halves?

umbilicus

What is the medical term for the navel?

medial

What refers to a position closer to the midline?

lateral

What refers to a position farther away from the midline?

bilateral

What refers to 'both sides' of anything?

unilateral

What refers to 'one side' of anything?

midaxillary line

The extends vertically from the middle of the armpit to the ankle?

axilla

What is the anatomic term for the armpit?

anterior or ventral

What is the front of the body or body part?

posterior or dorsal

What is the back of the body or body part?

superior

What term means 'toward the head'?

inferior

What term means 'away from the head'?

torso

What is the trunk of the body, or the body without the head and the extremities?

proximal

What term means 'closer to the torso'?

distal

What term means 'farther away from the torso'?

distal pulse

What is a pulse found in an extremity, a pulse point that is farther away from the torso than the splint is?

palmar

What refers to the palm of the hand?

plantar

What refers to the sole of the foot?

midclavicular line

What is a line through the center of each clavicle?

abdominal quadrants

What are the divisions of the abdomen used to pinpoint the location of a pain or injury?

right upper quadrant (RUQ), left upper quadrant (LUQ), right lower quadrant (RLQ), left lower quadrant (LLQ)

What are the four abdominal quadrants?

supine

What position is lying on the back?

prone

What position is lying facedown?

recovery position

What position is lying on the side?

Fowler position

What is a sitting position?