Medical Terminology Intro terms

Prefix

a syllable or word that comes before a root word to change its meaning

suffix

a word ending that usually indicates a specialty, test, procedure, function, condition/disorder, or status

combining form

combination of the root and the combining vowel

combining vowel

vowel (usually o) that links the root to the suffix or the root to another root

root word

the central part of a medical word

frontal or coronal plane

Divides the body in ventral and dorsal.

transverse plane

horizontal division of the body into upper and lower portions

midsagittal or median plane

divides the body into equal right and left sides

sagittal plane

divides body into left and right, not equally.

thoracic cavity

cavity housing lungs and heart

pelvic cavity

Contains urinary bladder, reproductive organs, and rectum

abdominal cavity

Contains stomach, intestines, spleen, and liver, and other organs

cranial cavity

contains the brain

spinal cavity

contains the spinal cord

dorsal cavity

includes the cranial and spinal cavities.

ventral cavity

thoracic cavity and abdominopelvic cavity

Anatomy

The study of body structure

Physiology

The study of body function

Pathophysiology

the study of how disease processes affect the function of the body

pre

before, in front of

intra

within, inside

-lysis

destruction

-oma

tumor, mass

anti

against

brady-

slow

hypo

under, below

supra-

above

An-

without

hetero

different

neo

new

-algia

pain

-cyte

cell

-genesis

beginning; origin

itis

inflammation

dermat/o

skin

gastr/o

stomach

cardi/o

heart

hydr/o

water

cis/o

to cut, incision

nephr/o

kidney

hemat/o

blood

ot/o

ear

path/o

disease

immune/o

immune

carcin/o

cancer

-pathy

disease

-trophy

development

plasm

formation

-rrhage

excessive, abnormal flow

-ia

condition

-logist

one who studies

-ism

condition of

laryng/o

larynx

Distal

away from the point of origin

Proximal

closer to the point of origin.

Medial

toward the midline

Lateral

away from the midline

Inferior

Towards the soles of

acute

New, usually of rapid onset and of concern, opposite of chronic

autoimmune disease

a disease in which the immune system attacks the organism's own cells

benign

mild, not cancerous

chronic

continuing for a long time

endemic

A disease that is ongoing and restricted to a specific population, group, or area of land.

epidemic

A widespread outbreak of an infectious disease.

exogenous

produced from without; due to external causes

iatrogenic

produced by treatment

idiopathic

unknown cause

ischemic

pertaining to a lack of blood flow

malignant

Used to describe cancers that tend to spread, get progressively worse, and become life threatening.

metabolic disease

A disorder that interferes with normal metabolism, the chemical processes involved in converting food to energy and in sustaining life; diabetes, for example.

neoplastic disease

Diseases that result in new, abnormal tissue growth

terminal disease

disease which cannot be cured and is likely fatal

opportunistic infection

caused by a pathogen that does not normally produce an illness in healthy humans. (HIV)

syndrome

A set of signs or symptoms that occur together as part of a disease process.

nosocomial infection

hospital acquired infection

immunological

Pertaining to a reaction between an antigen and an antibody, a protein that the body makes in response to an antigen.

sign

objective evidence of disease such as a fever

symptoms

Subjective characteristics of disease felt only by the patient

inspection

general observation of the patient as a whole, progressing to specific body areas

Auscultation

listening to sounds within the body (usually with a stethoscope)

Palpation

an examination technique in which the examiner's hands are used to feel the texture, size, consistency, and location of certain body parts

percussion

tapping areas on the surface of the body to produce a vibrating sound. The nature of the sound indicates the size of the organ, whether it is fi lled with air or fl uid, and so on.

Olfaction

use of the sense of smell to detect abnormalities

-tomy

to cut

-stomy

surgical opening

-ectomy

surgical removal

-emia

blood condition

-plasty

surgical repair

-um

structure; tissue

Bi

two

intra

within

cephal/o

head

glyc/o

sugar

hepat/o

liver

my/o

muscle

neur/o

nerve

ventr/o

belly side of the body

dors/o

back

hist/o

tissue

lip/o

fat