medical terminology - module 1

word root

determines general meaning of a word, indicates a body part or system - can also be an action 
occasionally, medical terms may have more than one word root

combining vowel

links a word root to word root/suffix. usually an “o” but doesn’t have to be

combining form

when a word root and a combining vowel are put together, they are shown with a slash ( / ) : such as gastr/o

prefix

beginning of a word and indicates location, number, color, or time. it will have a hyphen after the prefix such as intra-

suffix

end of a word and indicates condition, disease, or procedure.  It will have a hyphen before the suffix such as -itis

bi/o - root word

life

carcin/o - root word

cancer

cardi/o - root word

heart

chem/o

chemical

cis/o - root word

to cut

dermat/o - root word

skin

enter/o - word root

small intestine

gastr/o - word root

stomach

gynec/o - word root

female

hemat/o - word root

blood

immun/o - word root

immune

laryng/o - word root

voice box

nephr/o - word root

kidney

neur/o - word root

nerve

ophthalm/o - word root

eye

ot/o - word root

ear

path/o - word root

disease

pulmon/o - word root

lung

chondr/o - combining

cartilage

adip/o - combining

fat

cephal/o - combining

head

crani/o - combining

skull

cervic/o - combining

neck

bucc/o - combining

cheek

anter/o - combining

front

caud/o - combining

tail

abdomin/o - combining

abdomen

cutane/o - combining

skin

cyt/o - combining

cell

crin/o - combining

to secrete

dors/o - combining

back of body

glute/o - combining

buttock

epitheli/o - combining

epithelium

dist/o - combining

away from

hist/o - comb

tissue

later/o - comb

side

inguin/o - comb

groin

infer/o

below

lymph/o - combining

lymph

lumb/o - combining

low back, loin

pelv/o - combining

pelvis

pariet/o - combining

cavity wall

muscul/o - combining

muscle

medi/o - combining

middle

ped/o - combining

foot

orth/o - comb

straight, upright

proxim/o - comb

near to

spin/o - comb

spine

proct/o - comb

rectum

pleur/o - combining

pleura

rhin/o - combining

nose

super/o - combining

above

pub/o - comb

genital region

poster/o - comb

back

peritone/o - combining

peritoneum

ur/o - combining

urine

vertebr/o - combining

vertebra

vascul/o - combining

blood vessel

urino/o - combining

urine

thorac/o - combining

chest

ven/o - combining

vein

dys-

painful, difficult, abnormal

an-

without

auto-

self

epi-

upon, over

a-

without, away from

brady-

slow

anti-

against

de-

without

endo-

within, inner

ex-

external, outward

extra-

outside of

hetero-

different

homo-

same

hyper-

above, over

hypo-

under, below

in-

not

inter-

among, between

intra-

within, inside

macro-

large

micro-

small

peri-

around

pseudo-

false

pre-

before, in front of

neo-

new

para-

beside, beyond, near, two like parts of a pair

re-

again

post-

again

post-

after

pro-

before

per-

through

mono-

one

trans-

through, across

bi-

two

sub-

below, under