Medical Terminology

-a, -e, -y

no meaning

-ad

toward

-al

pertaining to

-ary

pertaining to

-centesis

surgical puncture to remove fluid

-eal

pertaining to

-ectomy

sergical removal or excision

-emia

blood condition

-genic

producing or causing

-gram

record, radiographic image

-graphy

process of recording or radiographic image

-ia

diseased state or condition of

-iasis

condition

-ic or -ior

pertaining to

-itis

inflammation

-logist

specialist (physician) who studies and treats

-logy

the study of

-meter

instrument used to measure

-oid

resembling

-oma

tumor

-osis

abnormal condition

-ous

pertaining to

-pexy

surgical fixation or suspension

-plasty

surgical repair

-pnea

breathing

-rrhagia

rapid flow of blood

-rrhaphy

suture or repair

-rrhea

flow or discharge

-scope

instrument used for visual examination

-scopic

pertaining to visual examination

-scopy

visual examination

-stomy

artificial opening

-thorax

chest thorax

-tomy

incision into

-tripsy

surgical crushing

a-, an-

without or absence

abscess

localized collection of pus

acr

extremities (arms and legs)

anatomic position

face forward, feet front and palms forward

anter

front

arthr

joint

asthma

respiratiory disease characterized by coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and constriction of airways

basal call carcinoma

tumor arising from the outer layer of the skin (the epithelial layer); AB- BCC

benign

not cancerous, but are deadly because they grow very big

biopsy

removal of living tissue to be viewed under a microscope for diagnostic purposes; AB- bx

bronch

bronchus, bronchi

CA

cancer

capn

carbon dioxide

carcin

cancer

caud

tail (downward)

cephal

head (upward)

chemo

chemotherapy

chemotherapy

treatment of cancer by using pharmaceuticals; AB- chemo

chest computed tomography (CT scan)

computerized images of the chest created in sections sliced from fornt to back; used to diagnose tumors and abscesses (a diagnostic imaging test); AB- CT scan

chest radiograph (chest x-ray)

a radiographic image of the chest used to evaluate the lungs and the heart (a diagnostic imaging test); AB- CXR

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

progressive, irreversible condition characterized by diminished capacity for air to flow to and from the lungs; emphysema and chronic bronchitis are types of COPD; AB- COPD

cutane

skin

cyan

blue

cyst

bladder

cyt

cell

cyt

cell

derm

skin

dermat

skin

diagnosis

identification of a disease

dist

away (from the point of attachment of a body part)

dors

back

dx

diagnosis

dys-

difficult, painful, or abnormal

edema

puffy swelling of tissue from the accumulation of fluid

emphysema

a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease caused by loss of elasticity of the air sacs (alveoli) located within the lung, causing the body to not receive enough oxygen

endo-

within

epi-

on, upon or over

epitheli

epithelium

erythr

red

hem

blood

hemat

blood

hemodialysis

procedure for removing toxic waste from the blood because of an inability of the kidneys to do so

hist

tissue

hyper-

above or excessive

hypo-

below, deficient, under

incontinence

inability to control the bladder

infer

below

inflammation

protective response of body tissue characterized by redness, swelling, heat and pain

influenza

highly contagious infection of the respitory tract caused by a virus; AB- flu

intra-

within

intra-

within

laceration

torn, ragged-edged wound

laryng

larynx

later

side

lesion

any visible change in tissue resulting from injury or disease

leuk

white

lip

fat

lith

stone or calculus

malignant

tending to become progressively worse, possibly resulting in death

medi

middle

melan

black

meta-

beyond

METS

metastasis

muc

mucus

my

muscle