Medical Terminology: Key Definitions for Anatomy and Pathology

Abduction

movement of a limb away from the midline or axis of the body

Abrasion

a rubbing or scraping off through unusual or abnormal action

Abscess

An abscess is an enclosed collection of liquefied tissue,pus from the body's defensive reaction to foreign material.

Acute

having severe symptoms and a short course.

Adduction

the movement of a limb toward the midline or axis of the body

Adverse reaction

A result of drug therapy that is neither intended nor expected in normal therapeuticuse and that causes significant, sometimes life-threatening conditions.

Alkalosis

Abnormally high alkalinity of the blood and body fluids.

Allergic reaction

A reaction resulting from hypersensitivity to an antigen

Alopecia

Hair loss

Ampule

a small glass or plastic container capable of being sealed so as to preserve its contents in a sterile condition; used principally for sterile parenteral solutions.

Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis is a rapidly progressing, life-threatening allergic reaction.

Antipyretic

An agent that reduces or prevents fever

Antiseptic

a substance that inhibits the growth and development of microorganisms without necessarily killing them

Anuria

complete suppression of urine formation and excretion

Anemia

reduction below normal of the number of erythrocytes, quantity of hemoglobin, or the volume of packed red cells in the blood; a symptom of various diseases and disorders

Aneurysm

a sac formed by localized dilatation of the wall of an artery, a vein, or the heart

Anus

the opening of the rectum on the body surface; the distal orifice of the alimentary canal.

Apex

the pointed end of a conical part; the top of a body, organ, or part

Aphagia

refusal or inability to swallow.

Apnea

cessation of breathing

Ascites

Ascites is an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the abdomen.

Asepsis

the prevention of contact with microorganisms.

Aseptic

free from infection or septic material.

Assessment

an evaluation or appraisal of a condition.

Ataxia

Loss of the ability to coordinate muscular movement

Atelectasis

Atelectasis is a collapse of lung tissue affecting part or all of one lung. This condition prevents normal oxygen absorption to healthy tissues.

Atresia

The absence or closure of a normal body orifice or tubular passage such as the anus, intestine, or external ear canal.

Atrophy

A wasting or decrease in size of a body organ, tissue, or part owing to disease, injury, or lack of use

Auditory

Of or relating to hearing, the organs of hearing, or the sense of hearing.

Auscultation

The act of listening for sounds made by internal organs, such as the heart and lungs, to aid in the diagnosis of certain disorders.

Axillary

(Anatomy) of, relating to, or near the armpit

Benign

Having little or no detrimental effect; harmless:

Bolus

A round mass. A single, relatively large dose of a drug that is administered for therapeutic purposes and taken orally. A concentrated mass of a pharmaceutical substance is administered intravenously for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes. A soft mass of chewed food within the mouth or alimentary canal.

Bradycardia

A slowness of the heartbeat, usually under 60 beats per minute in adults

Bradypnea

Abnormal slowness of respiration.

Bruit

An abnormal sound made when blood rushes through a partially blocked blood vessel. It is a periodic hissing, whooshing, or sibilant sound.

Buccal

Of, relating to, adjacent to, or in the direction of the cheek.

Bullae

a blister; a circumscribed, fluid-containing, elevated lesion of the skin, usually more than 5 mm in diameter

Cannula

a tube for insertion into a vessel, duct, or cavity; during insertion, its lumen is usually occupied by a trocar.

Canthus

the angle at either end of the fissure between the eyelids, lateral or medial.

Carcinoma

An invasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue that tends to metastasize to other areas of the body.

Catheter

A hollow flexible tube for insertion into a body cavity, duct, or vessel to allow the passage of fluids or distend a passageway. Its uses include the drainage of urine from the bladder through the urethra or insertion through a blood vessel into the heart for diagnostic purposes.

Cellulitis

A spreading inflammation of subcutaneous or connective tissue.

Chronic

Of long duration. Used of a disease of slow progress and long continuance.

Circumduction

circular movement of a limb or of the eye.

Colostomy

the surgical formation of an opening from the colon onto the surface of the body, which functions as an anus

Congenital

existing at, and usually before, birth; referring to conditions that are present at birth, regardless of their causation.

Contact precautions

A transmission-based precaution used in addition to standard precautions that reduce the risk of spread of infections through direct or indirect contact

Contracture

abnormal shortening of muscle tissue, rendering the muscle highly resistant to passive stretching.

Contralateral

pertaining to, situated on, or affecting the opposite side

Contusion

bruise; an injury of a part without a break in the skin

Crepitus

a crackling chest sound heard in pneumonia and other lung diseases. (Pathology) the grating sound of two ends of a broken bone rubbing together

Cyanosis

A bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes resulting from inadequate oxygenation of the blood.

Cyst

An abnormal membranous sac in the body containing a gaseous, liquid, or semisolid substance.

Cystectomy

Surgical removal of a cyst. Excision of a urinary bladder or a portion of it.

Debride

Surgical excision of dead, devitalized, or contaminated tissue and removal of foreign matter from a wound

Defecation

To void feces from the bowels.

Dermatitis

Inflammation of the skin.

Dialysis

the process of separating macromolecules from ions and low molecular weight compounds in solution by the difference in their rates of diffusion through a semipermeable membrane, through which crystalloids pass readily but colloids pass slowly or not at all.

Diaphoresis

Perspiration, especially when copious and medically induced.

Diastolic pressure

The lowest arterial blood pressure reached when the ventricles are relaxed

Distal

Anatomically located far from a point of reference, such as an origin or a point of attachment.

Diuresis

Secretion and passage of large amounts of urine occurring as a complication of metabolic disorders or after the removal of a urinary obstruction.

Doff

To take off; remove

Don

to put on

Dorsal

Anatomy Of, toward, on, in, or near the back or upper surface of an organ, part, or organism.

Drainage

The removal of fluid or purulent material from a wound or body cavity.

Droplet precautions

A transmission-based precaution used in addition to standard precautions that reduce the risk of droplet-borne infections

Dyspnea

labored or difficult breathing

Ecchymosis

The passage of blood from ruptured blood vessels into subcutaneous tissue, marked by a purple discoloration of the skin.

Eczema

A general term for an itchy red rash that initially weeps or oozes serum and may become crusted, thickened, or scaly.

Edema

An excessive accumulation of serous fluid in tissue spaces or a body cavity.

Embolus

A mass, such as an air bubble, a detached blood clot, or a foreign body, that travels through the bloodstream and lodges so as to obstruct or occlude a blood vessel

Emesis

The act of vomiting

Enema

a solution introduced into the rectum to promote evacuation of feces or as a means of introducing nutrients, medicinal substances, or opaque material for radiologic examination of the lower intestinal tract.

Enteral

Within or by way of the gastrointestinal tract

Epigastric

pertaining to the epigastrium, the area above the stomach.

Epistaxis

nosebleed; hemorrhage from the nose, usually due to rupture of small vessels overlying the anterior part of the cartilaginous nasal septum.

Erythema

Reddening of the skin, a common but nonspecific sign of skin irritation, injury, or inflammation caused by dilation of superficial blood vessels in the skin.

Eschar

a slough produced by a thermal burn, by a corrosive application, or by gangrene.

Eupnea

Easy, free respiration, as is observed normally under resting conditions.

Excoriation

An abrasion of the skin or of the surface of other organs by scratching, traumatic injury, chemicals, burns, or other causes. On the skin, the lesion is typically linear and scaly.

Expectorate

To clear out the chest and lungs by coughing up and spitting out matter.

Extremity

the distal or terminal portion of elongated or pointed structures.

Exudate

A fluid that has exuded out of a tissue or its capillaries due to injury or inflammation.

Febrile

pertaining to or characterized by fever.

Feces

waste matter discharged from the intestine.

Fissure

A break in the skin, usually where it joins a mucous membrane, producing a crack like sore or ulcer. A normal groove or furrow, as in the liver or brain that divides an organ into lobes or parts.

Fistula

An abnormal duct or passage resulting from injury, disease, or a congenital disorder that connects an abscess, cavity, or hollow organ to the body surface or to another hollow organ

Flatus

Gas generated in or expelled from the digestive tract, especially the stomach or intestines.

Flora

the bacteria and fungi, both normally occurring and pathological, found in or on an organ.

Fracture

the breaking of a part, especially a bone.

Friction

The rubbing of one object or surface against another

Flexion

The act of bending a joint or limb in the body by the action of flexors.

Gait

A particular way or manner of moving on foot:

Gastrointestinal

Pertaining to the entire digestive tract, from the mouth to the anusAbduction: movement of a limb away from the midline or axis of the body

Genitourinary

Relating to the organs of reproduction and urination collectively

Glycosuria

the presence of glucose in the urine

Gross

coarse or large, visible to the naked eye without the use of magnification

Guaiac

guaiac test one for occult blood; glacial acetic acid and guaiac are mixed with the specimen; with the addition of hydrogen peroxide, the presence of blood is indicated by a blue tint