Medical Terminology CH 1

The Introduction to Medical Terminology

gastr/o

stomach

-itis

inflammation

hyper-

excessive or increased

myel/o

spinal cord

my/o

muscle

oste/o

bone

neur/o

nerve

arthr/o

joint

cyan/o

blue

erythr/o

red

leuk/o

white

melan/o

black

poli/o

gray

enter

small intestine

-plasty

surgical repair

-rrhaphy

surgical suturing

-ectomy

srugical removal

crani

skull

-a,-e,-um,-us,-y

suffixes as noun endings

-osis

abnormal condition or disease

-ology

pain

megaly

enlargement

malacia

abnormal softening

-necrosis

tissue death

sclerosis

abnormal hardening

stenosis

abnormal narrowing

centesis

surgical puncture to remove fluid

-graphy

process of producing a picture or record

-gram

a picture or record

-scopy

visual examination

-rrhage

bleeding

-rrhea

flow or discharge of most body fluids

-nat

birth

laryng

larynx or throat

rhin/o

nose

ot/o

ears

-otomy

surgical incision

dys-

difficult

ab-

away from

ad-

toward or in the direction of

appendic

appendix

phalanges

bones of the fingers and toes (phalan for singular)

arteri/o

artery

end-

within

ather/o

plaque or fatty substance

-ostomy

surgical creation of an artificial opening to the body surface

acute condition

rapid onset, a severe course

sign

objective evidence of disease such as a fever (sign can be evaluated or measured)

symptom

subjective evidence of disease such as pain or a headache (only patient can measure this)

remission

disappearance of a patient’s disease without having found a cure

eponym

a disease, structure, operation, or procedure named for the person who discovered or described it first

fissure

grove or crack like sore of the skin

fistula

abnormal passage

ileum

last and longest portion of the small intestine

ilium

part of the hip bone

malaise

feeling of general discomfort or uneasiness

exudate

any fluid, such as pus, that leaks out of an infected wound

inflammation

localized response to an injury or to the destruction of tissue

laceration

torn or jagged wound or an accidental cut

lesion

pathologic change of the tissues due to disease or injury

mucous

specialized membranes that line the body cavities

mucus

fluid secreted by these mucous membranes

palpation

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

palpatation

pounding or racing heart

pyel/o

renal pelvis

py/o

any acute, inflammatory, pus-forming bacterial skin infection

pyr/o

fever or fire

supination

act of rotating the arm so that the palms of the hand is forward or upward

suppuration

formation of pus

triage

medical screening of patients

trauma

wound or injury

viral

pertaining to a virus

virile

having the nature, properties, or qualities of an adult male