Unit 1- Med Terminology

A- meaning

Without, lacking, deficient

An-

• Same as a-

• Used before a vowel or h

• Without, lacking, deficient

Anti-

• Opposed to, preventing, relieving

• Used before i

Ant-

• Same as anti-

• Used before vowel or H

• Opposed to, preventing, relievin

Dys-

difficult, painful, defective

ec-

out, out of, away from

ex-

• Same as ec-

• Used before a vowel

• Out, out of, away from

Ecto-

• Outside of

• Drop the o, before a vowel (ect-)

en-

in, into, within

em-

• Same as en-

• Used before b, m, and p

• In, into, within

endo-

• Within

• Drop the o before a vowel (end-)

Epi-

• upon, over, above

• Drop the i before a vowel or H

Ep-

• upon, over, above

• Same as api-

• Used before a vowel or H

exo-

outside, from the outside, toward the outside

Nouns in medicine

• Diseases 

• Symptoms 

• Conditions 

• Specialists 

• Procedures 

• Instruments 

Generic noun indicating suffixes

• -a 

• -ia 

• -y 

• -sia 

• -sis 

-osis

abnormal condition

-iasis

disease

-in

substance, protein, or sometimes a hormone

-ist

specialist or expert

-itis

inflammation

-itides

plural ending for inflammation

-ium

membrane, connective tissue, tissue

-eum

membrane, connective tissue, tissue

-iac

person (suffering a condition)

peri-

around

What is the mono- prefix that is used before a vowel or h?

mon-

Syn-

together, joined, with

Sym-

• Used before b,p, m

• Same as syn-

• Together, joined, with

Generic suffixes indicating adjective

• -ac 

• -ic 

Neur-

nerve, nervous system

Oste-

bone

Prax-

act, action — in medicine, most commonly reffers to movement or motor control

Prot-

first, primitive, early

Scler-

hard

Sten-

narrow

Stere-

Solid, having three dimensions

Tachy-

Rapid

Tox-

poison

hemi-

half; on one side of the body

hyper

above, excessive, beyond normal

Hypo-

• under, deficient, below normal

• Drop the o before a vowel or h

Hyp-

Hyp- is the same as hypo, hyper- never has a spelling change

Hyper

above, excessive, beyond normal

Sy-

• Used before s

• Same as syn-/sym-

• Together, joined, with

Acanth-

thorn, spine (not the spine in the back)

Alg-

Pain

Alges-

sensitivity to pain

All-

other, divergence, difference from

angi-

blood vessel, duct

arteri-

artery

arthr-

joint

bi-

life

Brady-

slow

cardi-

heart

cephal-

head

Crani-

skull

Cyt-

cell

encephal-

brain

erthyr-

red OR red blood cell

lept

thin, fine, slight

leuk

white OR white blood cell

Lith-

stone, calculus

Log-

word, study

malac-

soft

Mes-

middle, secondary, partial, mesentery

-meter

measure, measuring device

metr-

measure, measuring device

nephr-

kidney

Metry

measurement of

-logy

the study of

-logist

someone who specializes in the study of

Dyslogia

inability to express ideas in words

-maclacia

the abnormal softening of tissue

-sclerosis

the hardening/thickening of bodily tissues

stenosis

the narrowing of

-lithiasis

formation of stonesof calculi (mineral salts, fecal stone, etc)

-lith

stone

Nephrolith

kidney stone

-toxic

always an adj. ; always means poisonous

-toxin

noun meaning a substance poisonous (to)

Special noun suffixes patterns (4 patterns)

• Greek for is kept as is 

  • Encephalon --> encephalon as in the word diencephalon 

• Greek ending is replaced with latin ending 

  • Cranion --> cranium 

• Greek ending is changed to a silent e 

  • Kutos --> cyte 

• Greek ending is dropped 

  • Spasmos --> spasm 

erythropenia

deficiency of red blood cells

erythroprosopalgia

pain and redness in the face

leukpoiesis

creation of white blood cells

Leukoderma

white spots on skin

Myocardium

refers to the muscle later of the heart, just below the pericardium

Pericardium

a pair of membranes which surround the heart

Endocardium

the membrane that is the inner lining of the heart below the myocardium

Periosteum

Tissue layer surrounding the bone, containing blood vessels that nourish the bone

Endosteitis

• Endo oste itis

• Inflammation within a bone

• Really referring the inflammation in the inner lining inside the bone

eso

within, inner, inward

When -osis is attached to a word meaning a part of the body, it refers to ….

a noninflammatory disease affecting that part of the body

When cyt- is paired with -osis, it refers to…

abnormal increases in that type of cell

anastomosis

a surgical or pathological connection between two passages or organs (this will be also used as a common combination)

cyst-

bladder

Exostosis

a bony growth arising out of the bone

antibiosis

association of tow organisms in which one is harmful to another

eu

good, normal, healthy

heter-, hetero-

different, other, relationship to another