Principles of Medicine

roots

the core meaning of the word

prefix

the beginning of some words

combining vowel

a vowel that joins a root to another root or to a suffix

suffix

the ending of some words

where was the medical language developed from

both greek and latin roots

when deconstructing medical terminology, where do we start: suffix, prefix or root

suffix , it tells you what you are doing

does all medical terms have one or more roots

yes

find the root in pneumonia

pneum

what does the word pneum mean

lung/air

what is the root in Esophagogastroduodenoscopy

3 roots:

esophago

gastrointestinal

duodeno

how are roots joined to other elements of a medical term

by placing a combining vowel on the end of the root

what is the combining form

the root + the combining vowel combined

Combining forms:

•Can be attached to another root or combining form. Ex. Hem/o/pneum/o/thorax

•Can precede another word element called a suffix. Ex. Pneum/o/thorax

•Can follow a prefix.

what is the root and combining vowel in pneumo and what does it mean

pneum- root

o- vowel

means lung/air

how are roots joined to other elements of a medical term

by placing a combining vowel on the end of the root

what is the root and combining vowel for : hemo and what does it mean

hem- root (blood)

o- combining vowel

what is a thorax

chest; the entire chest area of the body, situated between the neck and the abdomen, that houses and protects vital organs like the heart and lungs.

what is the root and combining vowel for pulmono and what does it mean

pulmon- root

o-combining vowel

pulmono means lung/air

what is the meaning of pulmonology

the study of the lung

what does ”logy” mean

meaning the study of

what is a suffix

an element added to the end of a root or combining form to give it a new meaning

if the suffix begins with a consonant, what must it be followed by?

a combining vowel

can suffix have more than one meaning

yes

if the suffix begins with a vowel, should you add a combining vowel?

no

in dermatitis, should a combining vowel be added?

no because “itis“ begins with a vowel

in dermatologist, is a combining vowel needed?

yes, because “logist“ is the suffix and dermat is the root which needs the “o“ to combine root and suffix

can a word have 2 suffixes

yes

what does “Oma “ mean

type of tumor/swelling

what does ary mean

pertaining to

pulmonary meaning. what is the root and suffix

pertaining to the lung

root- pulmon

suffix-ary

what does pulmonology mean. what is the root, combining vowel, suffix

pulmon+o+logy

study of the lung

what does ia mean and give an example when it is used and its meaning

a condition of

pneumonia - a condition(infection) of the lung

what does ation mean? Give an example when it is used

a process of something

respiration- A process of breathing

what is the meaning diagnostic

procedure/ test

one strategy to understand medical terms is to divide suffixes into different types, such as diagnostic, surgical, pathological, and adjectives and nouns

What does diagnostic suffixes produce?

a medical term that is a diagnosis or a procedure or test to identify the nature of an illness.

what does surgical suffixes produce

medical terms that describe the invasive surgical procedure performed on the body

what does pathological suffixes produce

a medical term that describes a symptom or sign of a disease process

what is the diagnostic suffix in hematoma and what does it mean? what does hematoma mean

hemat- root meaning blood

oma- suffix. -tumor/mass

hematoma- collection of blood in a tissue

what is the diagnostic suffix of hematuria? what does the word hematuria mean and what is the root

root- hemat (blood)

suffix-uria - urine

hematuria- blood in the urine

what is the surgical suffix or appendectomy and what is the root. what does the word mean

appendectomy- surgical removal of the appendix

append- root - meaning appendix

ectomy- suffix- surgical removal

what is the surgical suffix and root of lithotripsy

litho-root word meaning stone (calculus)

tripsy- suffix meaning crushing

lithotripsy- crushing of a stone e.g. kidney stone (calculus)

identify the surgical suffix in tracheotomy, its meaning and the mean of its root

otomy-suffix- to make an incision

root- trache-

tracheotomy- to make an incision in the trachea

identify the surgical suffix in tracheostomy, its meaning, root?

root-trache

suffix- ostomy- to make an opening

tracheostomy- to make an opening in the trachea

what does the surgical term myorrhaphy mean and identify its suffix, roots etc.

root- myo meaning muscle

rrhaphy- meaning surgical suturing/repair

what is the pathological suffix in cystitis

cyst- root- meaning bladder

itis- suffix- inflammation of something

cytitis- meaning inflammation of the urinary bladder

what does the pathological suffix pathy mean

disease/abnormal (condition)

what does the pathological suffix emia mean

blood

what does cyanosis mean; identify its root, pathological suffix and meaning of the word

cyanosis- dark blue coloration of blood due to lack of oxygen

root- cyan-meaning dark blue

suffix-osis-abnormal condition

what does sclerosis mean; identify root and suffix

sclerosis- hardening of a tissue

scler- hard tissue- root

osis-abnormal condition-suffix

what does the the word Hepatomegaly mean? Identify root, suffix meaning of the word

hepat-root-

megaly- suffix

hepatomegaly- abnormal enlargement of the liver

what does the adjective suffixes mean: ac, ary, ior? And what are they usually used for

pertaining to

ac- cardiac- pertaining to heart

pulmonary- pertaining to the lungs

posterior- pertaining to the back of the body

what does the adjective suffixes al, ous and eal mean?

al- relating to eg. cardial - pertaining to the heart

ous- membrane e.g. intravenous - pertaining to the vein

what are the definitions for the noun suffixes iatry, ician, icle?

iatry-treament/medical specialty e.g. psychiatry

ician- expert specialist. e.g. paediatrician

icle- small/minute e.g. small bone in the ear

what is a prefix

found at the beginning of a medical term and added to the root or to the combining form.

does prefixes change the meaning of medical terms and does it need a combining vowel

no combining vowel and it does change the meaning of medical terms.

identify the prefix root etc. in peri-cardium and what does it mean

peri- root- around

cardium- suffix- heart tissue

pericardium- membrane that surrounds and protects the heart

epicardium; identify the prefix, suffix, root

epi- prefix- above/on top/around

cardium- heart tissue- root

epicardium- first layer of the heart.

identify the prefix, roots etc. in premature and postmature and what do they mean

pre-mature - before the normal pregnancy

pre- prefix before

mature- root -fully grown

post-mature: after the normal pregnancy

post- prefix - after

mature- root- fully grown

what are the classification of prefixes

position,

number and measurement

and direction

identify the position prefixes and roots and meanings of the following words.

1. epidermis

2. hypodermis

3. hypothalamus

epi- above- prefix

dermis- skin- root

top layer of the skin

hypo- below- prefix

dermis- skin

tissue layer below the skin

hypo-below-prefix

thalamus- egg shaped structure in the middle of the brain.

hypothalmus- a small but vital region deep within the brain

what does the following position prefixes mean?

supra, ante, meso, ecto/exo, infra, inter, intra

supra- above

ante- before

meso-middle

echo/exo- out

infra- below/beneath

inter- between/around

intra- cellular space/ within/inside

what is the number and measurement root and prefixes in multipara and primipara and what do they mean

multi- prefix- many

para-root- to bring forth

multipara- woman who has given birth 2x

primi- prefix- meaning stomach

para-root- to bring forth

primipara- means woman giving birth for the 1st time.

What are the meanings for the number and measurement prefixes:

1. oli

2. pan

3. hyper

4. hypo

1. little, few e.g. oliguria- passing little urine

2. all e.g. pandemic

3. above e.g. hyperglycaemia- high blood sugar

4. below e.g. hypoglycaemia

Identify the direction prefixes in antevert and synapse

ante- prefix- above/over/upon

vert- root- turned

antevert- means to tilt forward

synapse-prefix- junction between 2 nerve cells

apse-root- meaning neurons

syn- prefix coming together

identify the meanings of the following direction prefixes

1. ab

2. ad

3. post

4. ventro

5. supra

6. trans

7. peri

8. retro

1. ab- away

2. ad- toward

3. post- back

4. ventro-front/belly-side

5. supra-above/beyond

6. trans-across/through

7. peri-around

8. retro-behind

what does the following medical words mean:

1. micro

2. mega

3. eu

4. iso

5. autograft

6. allograft

7. xenograft

1. micro- small/tiny

2. mega- abnormally large

3. eu- good, well , normal, true

4. iso- same/equal

5. autograft- tissue/organ transplant from one part of the body to another part on the same individual.

6. allograft- tissue or an organ transplanted from one genetically non-identical individual of the same species to another.

7. xenograft-tissue or organ transplanted where the donor is from a different species.

what does the following words mean

1. toxin

2. medical

3. record

4. eponym

1. poison

2. to heal

3. to remember

4. a word derived from a person's name, used to identify diseases, syndromes, anatomical structures, medical instruments, or procedures, often honoring the person who first described them. E.g. Alzhemirs or Parkinson's

Difference between ilium and ileum

malleus and mallelus

Ilium- bone in the pelvis

ileum- a segment of the small intestine

malleus- small bone in the middle ear

malleolus- bony protuberance at the ankle.

what is the definition of uni, bi, contra and psi

they give numbers to the term

uni-unilateral- one side of the body

bi-bilateral =2 sides of the body

contra- against e.g. contralateral- other side of the median

ipsi- on the same side

What is the definitions of perinatal, antinatal, prenatal, epigastric and hypogastric

perinatal- around the time of birth

prenatal-before birth

antinatal- after birth

epigastric- above the stomach

hypogastric-below the stomach

what are the definitions of microcyte and macrocycle

microcyte-- small red blood cells

macrocyte- large red blood cells

their prefixes describe their size

When you see an unfamiliar medical term, what must you first identify

the suffix because the suffix tells us the meaning of the word.

what does myocardial mean

pertaining to heart muscle

my-el meaning

myelo meaning

my-el means bone marrow

myelo- bone marrow/spinal cord

identify the combining form and suffix of the following word: cardiomyopathy

and its meaning

cardi/o- combining form- heart

my/o- combining form-muscle

2 roots tells the meaning of the word.

pathy-suffix- disease

cardiomyopathy- disease of the heart muscle

what are the plural endings for:

1. a

2. is

1. a- ae e.g. singular: axilla plural: axillae

2. is- es e.g. singular: diagnosis plural: diagnoses

what is the difference between prostate and prostrate

prostate- the gland at the base of the male bladder

prostrate- means to be physically weak/exhausted or to lie flat on the ground.

what is neurology

the study of the nervous system

myel meaning

marrow

scler

hard

urogenital

pertaining to urinary and reproductive system

what is the root and suffix in neuritis and what does it mean

neur- nerve

it is-inflammation

neuritis- inflammation of a nerve

when you add a suffix to a word ending in x, what is added

g or c

x is changed to a g when there is a consonant e.g. pharynx into pharyngeal

pharyngeal

pertaining to the throat

what does coccyx become

coccygeal- pertaining to the coccyx

if a vowel comes before x, what do you do

change x to c

thorax becomes thoracic- pertaining to chest

cervix- cervical -pertaining to neck

when adding suffix with r, what do you do in ‘rhage’

add anything ‘r’ : rrhage- bursting forth e.g. hemorrhage- a bursting forth of blood

menorrhea- menstrual flow

rhea

flow/discharge

men/o

mensespa

apnea

cessation of breathing

nephroptosis

dropping of the kidney

meanings

1. dysfunction

2. chemical

3. euphoria

4. gnatic

5. phantom

6. pneumonia

7. pseudonym

8. ptosis

9. rhinoplasty

10. xiphoid

1. dysfunction- difficult or abnormal function

2. chemical -pertaining to their elements + reactions

3. euphoria- exaggerated feeling of well-being (true/good)

4. gnatic- pertaining to the jaw

5. phantom- illusion or imaginary image

6. pneumonia- inflammation of the lungs

7. pseudonym- false name

8. ptosis- dropping, downward displacement

9. rhinoplasty-plastic repair of the nose

10. xiphoid- pertaining to cartilage attached to the sternum

what is an acronym

an abbreviation formed from the first letter of each word in a phrase

compound word

a word that contains more than one root

prefix

root

suffix

prefix-a word part added to before a root to modify its meaning

fundamental unit of a word

a word part added to the end of a root to modify its meaning

gen and what does myelogenous mean

is a root word meaning origin/genesis

myelogenous- originating in the bone marrow

osis and iasis means

noun suffixes that mean abnormal condition

what is the root in logy

log/o meaning word/field of study

iatrics and iatry

iatr/o- healing and meaning “physician/medical treatment“