Medical Terminology: External Root Words & examples

Acr/ Acro

the extremities

Acromegaly:

abnormally larger upper and lower extremities (hands,feet, ect.) brought about by an increased production of growth hormone

Axill/ Axillo

the armpits

Axillary lymphadenopathy:

the enlargement of diseased lymph nodes in the axilla characterized by swollen armpits.

Blephar/ Blepharo

the eyelid

Blepharoplasty:

the surgical repair of the eyelid

Brachi/ Brachio

the arm

Brachialgia:

severe pain in the arm

Bucc/ Bucco

the cheek

Buccal

anything related to the cheek

Buccal mucosa

interior lining of the cheek

Canth/ Cantho

angle of the eyelids

canthotomy

minor procedure where incision of tissues at the angle of the eye is performed to reduce pressure in orbital compartment syndrome, or to gain access to the bony orbit

Capit/ Capito

the head/ shaped like a head

Capitate bone

the largest hand bone at the center of the wrist that is shaped like a rounded head.

Carp/ Carpo

the wrist

Carpoptosis

a condition characterized by paralyzed extensor muscles of the hand and the fingers

Caud/ Caudo

the hind part / tail/ downward

Caudal anesthesia

anesthesia preformed by injecting a local anesthetic agent into the lower end of the sacrum and coccyx ( tail bone)m providing pain relief from the umbilical ( navel) region and below.

Cephal/ Cephalo

the head

Cephalohematoma

Occurring in infants, it refers to a traumatic blood clot that forms between the newborn’s skull and the inner layers of the skin. It does not affect the brain cells but causes blood to pool from injured blood vessels in this area.

Cervic/ Cervico

the neck, such as of the body, or of the uterus (which is also called cervix)

Cervicogenic Headache

a secondary headache brought about by a lesion or injury in the neck (cervical spine)

Cheil/ Cheilo/ Chil/ Chilo

the lips

Cheilosis

Inflamed lip corners, accompanied by redness, scaling, and cracking of the mouth corners. May be caused by Candida infection, or vitamin deficiencies

Cheir/ Cheiro/ Chir/ Chiro

The hand

Cheiropompholyx

Severely itchy skin eruptions on the sides of the fingers and the palms, made up of small blisters.

Cili/ Cilio

relating to the eyelid or the eyelash

Ciliary muscle

A smooth muscle ring situated in the middle layer of the eye. changes the shape of the lens to help focus on objects at different distances and helps control aqueous humor

Derm/ Derma/ Dermato/ Dermo

The skin

Dermatitis

Inflammation of the skin, caused by allergy

Dors/ Dorsi/ Dorso

Back part/ posterior

Dorsiflexion

The backward bending of the foot or the hand

Faci/ Facio

The face

Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy

A rare inherited disorder, which begins by affecting the skeletal muscles of the face. It affects the shoulders (scapula), and the upper arms (humeral) involving progressive weakness of the skeletal muscles in those areas

Gingiv/ Gingivo

The gums

Gingivitis

Inflammation of the gums

Gloss/ Glosso

The tongue

Glossodynia

Pain in the tongue characterized by a burning sensation

Gnath/ Gnatho

The jaws

Orthognathic

Pertains to maintaining jaws in their correct relation and dimension. An orthagnothic surgery is an operation performed to fix jaw deformities due to size or position

Inguin/ Inguino

The groin

Inguinodynia

Post surgical pain felt after the operation of an inguinal hernia

Inguinal hernia

Occurs when the tissues of the intestine push through the bases of the abdomen. It appears as a lump in the groin and also reveals itself as an enlargement of scrotum in males.

Irid/ Irido

The iris of the eye

Iridocyclitis

Inflammation of the iris as well as the ciliary parts of the eye

Labi/ Labio

Lips/ lip- like

Labia

The lip like skin folds of the vulva which serves as a protection to the opening of the vagina.

Lapar/ Laparo

The abdomen

Laparoscopy

A surgical operation where a fiber optic gadget is introduced via the abdominal wall to allow the surgeon to see the organs within the abdomen. This is often done for diagnosis of abdominal diseases or as part of a surgical procedure within the abdomen

Later/ Latero

The side/ parts of the body which are the farthest from the middle

Bilateral

Means on both sides

Bilateral micromastia

Refers to the underdevelopment of tissues in both breasts after puberty

Unilateral hearing loss

Single sided deafness where only one ear is affected

Lingu/ Lingo/ Linguo

The tongue

Linguogingival

Tongue and gums. During the embryonic stage, it refers to a groove (small indentation) that separates the mandibular part of the tongue from the rest of the mandible (lower jaw).

Mamm/ Mamma/ Mammo

Breasts

Mammogram

An x-ray examination of the breasts

Mast/ Masto

Breast

Gynecomastia

The abnormal enlargement of breasts in males due to hormonal imbalances. This is a possible side effect of hormone replacement therapy

Nas/ Naso

The nose

Nasogastric

Pertains to the mouth and the stomach (gastric)

Nasogastric intubation

a medical procedure where a plastic tube (nasogastric tube) is introduced via the nose, through the throat, and into the stomach for assisted ventilation

Occipit/ Occipito

The back of the head

Occipital bone

Refers to a saucer shaped bone located at the lower back area of the skull and it contains the back portion of the brain

Ocul/ Oculo

The eye

Oculogyric

Pertains to the elevation of the visual gaze in both eyes

Oculogyric crisis

An untoward reaction to medical disorders or pharmaceuticals which is manifested by a legnthy uncontrollable upward deviation of the persons eyes

Odont/ Odonto

The teeth

Odontoma

A benign tumor associated with the development of the teeth. It’s noticed by the abnormal growth of normal dental tissue

Omphal/ Omphalo

The umbilicus

Omphaloma

A tumor situated in the umbilicus

Onych/ onycho

The nails

Paronychia

Painful and pus filled soft tissue infection involving the fingernails. Chronic type of paronychia is usually cause by a fungal infection (Candidiasis)

Ophthalm/ Ophthlamo

The eyes

Ophthalmoscopy

A non invasive medical procedure where the eye doctor (ophthalmologist) uses an ophthalmoscope to view and check the inside of the eye

Optic/ Óptico/ Opto

Sight

Optometry

An assessment method done to evaluate vision and to determine whether glasses or contacts are required to fix a vision problem

Or/ Oro

The mouth

Oropharyngeal

Involves the mouth and the pharynx

Oropharyngeal dysphagia

Pertains to difficulty swallowing due to abnormalities or malfunction not just the throat but also in the mouth

Ot/ Oto

The ear/s

Otitis media

Inflammation of the middle ear brought about by an infection (caused by either bacteria or virus) spreading to the Eustachian tube

Papill/ Papillo

The nipple

Papilloma

A non cancerous tumor in the breast ducts which consists of mammary epithelium (cells which make up the breast’s duct wall linings). They block the duct fully and have fronds that resemble fingers

Pelv/ Pelvo

Pelvis

Pelviectasis

The dilation of the renal pelvis

Phall/ Phallo

The penis

Phalloplasty

A surgical procedure performed to augment or to repair the penis

Pil/ Pilo

Hair

Pilocystic

Term used to denote a cyst which contains hair

Pod/ Podo

Foot/ feet

Podiatry

A branch of medicine which is dedicated to the treatment both medical and surgical of the foot and other parts of the lower extremities

Rhin/ Rhino

The nose

Rhinorrhea

Pertains to a condition where the nasal cavity is persistently filled with substantial amount of mucous fluid

Somat/ Somato

Body

Somatogenic

Relates to the body

Somatogenic diseases

Refer to illnesses which originate from the parts of the body

psychogenic diseases

Wherein the cause of the illness is of mental origin

Steth/ Stetho

The chest