Chapter 3: Acquiring Medical Language

adip/o

fat

lip/o

fat

steat/o

fat

cutane/o

skin

derm/o

skin

dermat/o

skin

epidermis

outer layer of skin

squamous cell

flat scaly looking cell

dermis

deepest layer of skin

integumentary system

skin

pil/o

hair

trich/o

hair

hidr/o

sweat

squam/o

scale

onych/o

nail

ungu/o

nail

seb/o

oil

sebace/o

oil

crypt/o

hidden

ichthy/o

scaly

pachy/o

thick

kerat/o

hard, horny

xer/o

dry

rhytid/o

wrinkle

xanth/o

yellow

erythr/o

red

leuk/o

white

alb/o

white

melan/o

black

abrasion

scraping away of skin

albinism

lack of pigment in skin making it look white

albino

a person afflicted with albinism

alopecia

baldness

anhidrosis

lack of sweating

comedo

a hair follicle that is plugged with sebum

cyanidrosis

blue sweat

depigmentation

loss of pigmentation

dermatalgia

skin pain

dermatodynia

skin pain

dermatolysis

loose skin

erythema

redness

erythroderma

red skin

hemathidrosis

sweating blood

hidropoisesis

formation of sweat

hyperhidrosis

excessive sweating

hyperkerotosis

excessive growth of horny skin

hypermelanosis

excessive melanin in the skin

hyperpigmentation

excessive pigment in the skin

hypohidrosis

diminished sweating

hypomelanosis

diminished melanin in the skin

hypopigmentation

diminished pigment in the skin

leukoderma

white skin

macerate

to soften the skin

onychophagia

eating/biting nails

pruritus

an itch

rhytidermia

wrinkled skin

sebopoiesis

formation of oil (sebum)

seborrhea

discharge of oil

trichomegaly

abnormally thick hair

urticaria

swollen raised itchy areas of the skin

xanthoderma

yellow skin

xeroderma

dry skin

xerosis

condition of dryness

macule

freckle; small, flat discolored area

macula

freckle; small, flat discolored area

patch (vitiligo)

larger flat discolored area

papule

small solid mass

plaque

a solid mass on surface of skin

nodule

a solid mass that extends deeper into skin

tumor

a larger solid mass

vesicle

a smaller blister

bulla

a larger blister

pustule

a pus-filled blister

abscess

a localized collection of pus in the body

erosion

loss of skin

ulcer

a sore

excoriation

a scratch

fissure

a crack in the skin

scale

skin flaking off

crust

a dried substance on the skin

vascular lesion

wounds related to blood vessels

cherry angioma

a small blood vessel tumor

telangiectasia (spider angioma)

the overexpansion of the end of a blood vessel; sometimes called a spider angioma because of how it looks on the skin (tel/angi/ectasia)(end/blood vesesel/expansion)

petechia

a small bruise

ecchymosis

a larger bruise

cicatrix (cicatrices is the plural form)

scar

keloid

overgrowth of scar tissue

epidermal tumors

tumors of the skin

nevus

mole

dysplastic nevus

a mole with bad changes/formations

verucca

wart

culture and sensitivity (C&S)

growing microorganisms in isolation in order to determine which drugs it might respond to

biopsy (Bx)

removal of tissue in order to examine it with your own two eyes

excisional biopsy

removal of an entire lesion for examination; to cut it out

incisional biopsy

removal of a portion of a lesion for examination

dermatoscope

instrument used to look at the skin

dermoscopy

procedure for looking at the skin

adipocele

a hernia filled with fatty tissue

dermatofibroma

a fibrous skin turmor

erythrocyanosis

a red and blue discoloration of the skin