MT: Chapter 1

Word Root (WR)

The main meaning of the word

• often in Latin or Greek

• may sometimes derive early words from French and English

Combined Form (CF)

Root combined with vowel (doesn’t change meaning)

• it is to help with pronunciation

• clarity of word

Suffix

“Word” at the end of the WR (changes the medical meaning)

• Indicates what is wrong or the treatment going on

  • Pathology

  • Condition

  • Symptom

  • Therapeutic procedure

  • Diagnostic procedure

Prefix

“Word” at the beginning of the WR (changes the medical meaning)

• Indicates quantitative data

  • Number

  • Time

  • Position

  • Measurement

  • Direction

  • Negation (ex: non-, an-)

3 Steps to Define Medical Words

1. Define suffix first

2. Define the first part of the word (prefix or WR/CF)

3. Define the middle (WR/CF)

Rules of Building Medical Words

1. WR links a suffix that begins with a vowel

2. CF links a suffix that begins with a consonant

3. CF links a root to another root from a compound word

   • true even if the next root is a vowel starter

-ectomy

Surgical removal or excision of…

laryng

Voice Box

-oma

Tumor of…

-megaly

Enlargement of…

-logy

Study of…

-spasm

Involuntary contraction or twitching of…

-gram

record of

-scope

Instrument for examining…

-tomy

Incision of…

-al

pertaining to…