Medical Terminology: Prefixes, Suffixes, Combining forms, Connecting vowels

Prefixes provide what?

Information such as "where?" "how?" or "to what degree?"

What are examples of alternate spellings depending on a vowel

a(symptomatic) lacking symptoms and an(algesic) lacking sensitivity to pain

What are examples of alternate spellings depending on a consonant

syn(chilia) ("lips fused together") v. (sym)biosis ("state of organisms of living together")

a- (an- before a vowel or h)

"without, lacking, deficient"

ex. analgesia "without sensitivity to pain"

anti- (often ant- before a vowel or h; anti- before i)

"opposed to, preventing, relieving"

ex: antitoxin "substance that relieves poison"

di-

two, twice, double"

ex: diplegia "paralysis in two limbs"

dys-

"difficult, painful, defective

ex: dyspnea "difficulty breathing"

ec- (ex- before a vowel)

out, out of, away from

ex: myectomy "surgical cutting (out) of a muscle"

ecto- (ect- before a vowel)

outside of

-ex. ectogenous "developing outside of an organism"

hemi-

"half, on one side of the body"

ex: hemiparalysis "paralysis on half of the body"

hyper-

above, excessive, beyond normal

ex: hypertension "above normal blood pressure

hypo- (hyp- before a vowel or h)

under, deficient, below normal

ex: hypacousia "deficient hearing"

hypoglossal "below the tongue

which prefix never has a spelling change?

hyper-

mono- (mon- before a vowel or h)

one, single

ex: monocular "occurring in one eye"

peri-

around

ex: pericardiac "occurring around the heart

syn- (sym- before b, p, m; sy- before s)

together, joined, with

ex: synchilia "lips fused together"

symbiosis "organisms living together"

What do suffixes determine?

whether a medical term is a noun or adjective

what are nouns in medical terminology?

They're generally diseases, symptoms, conditions, procedures and instruments

ex: dysentery, bradycardia, nephrectomy, sonogram

how can nouns be translated

"state of" or "condition of" or not translate it at all

-a

ex: rhinorrhea (condition of) runny nose

-ia

ex: myalgia (condition of) muscle pain

-y

hypertrophy "(condition of) excessive nourishment"

-sia

ex: amnesia "(state of) lacking memory

-sis

ex: emesis "(state of) vomiting

How can nouns be translated when indicating diseases

abnormal", "disease" or not translate it at all

-osis

ex: necrosis "abnormal death (of tissue)"

toxicosis "poisoning

-iasis

ex: nephrolithiasis "kidney stone disease"

-in

substance" "protein" sometimes a "hormone

ex: toxin = "poisonous substance"

-ist

"expert" or "specialist"

ex: dentist = "expert in teeth"

-itis, -itides

"inflammation" (-itides is the plural ending "inflammations")

ex: gastritis = "inflammation of the stomach"

-ium, -eum

"membrane", "connective tissue", "tissue"

ex: pericardium = "membrane around the heart

-iac

"person (suffering a condition)"

ex: amnesiac = "person with a loss of memory"

what do adjectives represent

characteristics and properties of diseases

& symptoms or may descriptions of where and when conditions occur, etc.

how can adjectives be translated to?

relating to" "pertaining to" "having" "located in" "affecting"

"occurring in" or similar.

-ac

cardiac "relating to the heart"

-ic

gastric "located in the stomach"

what adjectives can be based upon noun suffixes

-itis ("inflammation") n, itic "relating to inflammation adj

-osis n, -otic "relating to disease", "relating to an abnormal condition" or similar adj

ex: necrotic = "relating to the (abnormal) death (of tissue

-sis n, -tic "relating to (a state)" adj

ex: emetic "relating to (a state of) vomiting"

if a noun ends in -ic what does it refer to?

"a drug" or, rarely, "a person suffering from" a condition

ex: analgesic can mean "a drug that that removes pain sensation"

antarthritic can mean "a drug which treats joint inflammation"

What do combining forms supply?

core meaning for medical terms

ex: arthr- = "joint" arthritis = "inflammation of a joint"

ost(e)- = "bone" periosteum = "membrane around a bone"

acanth-

thorn, spine

alg-

pain

alges-

sensitivity to pain

all-

other, divergence, difference from

angi-

blood, vessel, duct

arteri

[air passage] artery

arthr-

joint

bi-

life

brady-

slow

cardi-

heart

cephal

head

crani-

skull

cyt-

[hollow container] cell

encephal-

brain( combo of en, in, and kephalie, head)

erythr-

red, red blood cell

lept-

thin, fine, slight

leuk-

white, white blood cell

lith-

stone, calculus

log-

word, sturdy

malac-

soft

mes-

middle, secondary, partial, mesentery

-meter, metr-

measure, measuring device (words ending in -meter indicate instruments for measuring)

nephr-

kidney

neur-

[tendon] nerve, nervous system

oste-

bone

prax-

act, action

prot-

first, primitive, early

scler-

hard

sten-

narrow

stere-

solid, having three dimensions

tachy-

rapid

tox(i)-

poison

where is a combining form added?

between two combining form

crani(o)logy

study of the skull

erythr(o)cytosis

"diseased condition of the red blood cells"

perinephrium

(peri nephr ium)

lithonephritis

(lith o nephr itis)

perinephric hematoma

(peri nephr ic hemat oma)