Medical Terminology: Concepts, Suffixes, and Prefixes

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to medical terminology, including definitions of important components such as roots, prefixes, and suffixes.

Medical Terminology

Special vocabulary used by health care professionals for effective and accurate communication.

Root

Fundamental unit of each medical word that establishes the basic meaning of the word.

Suffix

Short word part added to the end of a word that modifies the meaning of the root.

Prefix

Short word part added before a root that modifies the meaning of the root.

Combining Form

A vowel, usually 'o,' inserted between the root and the next word part to aid in pronunciation.

Acronym

An abbreviation formed from the first letter of each word in a phrase.

Latin and Greek

Languages from which most medical word parts are derived.

Medical Dictionary

A valuable reference that gives information on meanings, derivations, and related terms.

Noun Suffix

Suffixes that convert roots into nouns, such as -sis appearing as -osis, -iasis, -esis, or -asis.

Plural Suffix

The endings added to words to indicate multiple instances, such as -ae for words ending in -a.

Negative Prefix

Prefixes such as a-, an-, and contra- that indicate absence, negation, or opposition.

Adjective Suffix

Endings that mean 'pertaining to,' 'like,' or 'resembling,' such as -ac, -al, and -ar.

Word Derivation

Process of forming words from root words derived from Latin (L) and Greek (G).

Pronunciation

Rules for pronouncing medical terms, including phonetic pronunciations provided.

Suffix for Medical Specialties

Suffixes indicating a field of study or practice, such as -iatry for psychiatry or -ician for physician.

Combining Vowel

Usually 'o,' added to aid in the pronunciation between root words and suffixes.

Forming Plurals

Special rules for creating plurals of medical terms, such as changing -is to -es.