Medical Terminology Flashcards

Chapter 1: Basic Word Structure

Chapter Goals:
- Identify objectives for studying medical language.
- Divide medical words into component parts.
- Learn meanings of basic combining forms, prefixes, and suffixes.
- Use these components to build medical words.

Lesson 1.1: Objectives in Studying the Medical Language

Analyze words by dividing them into component parts.
Relate medical terms to the structure and function of the human body.
Be aware of spelling and pronunciation problems.
Quick Quiz:
1. All medical terms have: C. a suffix
2. Which element appears at the beginning of a medical term? Prefix

Word Analysis

Example: HEMAT/O/LOGY
- HEMAT/ - root
- O/ - combining vowel
- LOGY - suffix
- hemat means blood
- -logy means process of study
Important elements:
- Root: Foundation of the word.
- Suffix: Word ending.
- Prefix: Small part attached to the beginning of a term.
- Combining vowel: Vowel (usually "o") that links the root to the suffix or the root to another root.
- Combining form: root + combining vowel
Example: ELECTR/O/CARDI/O/GRAM
- ELECTR/ - root
- O/ - combining vowels
- CARDI/ - root
- O/ - combining vowels
- GRAM - suffix
- electr means electricity
- cardi means heart
- -gram means record
Example: GASTRITIS
- GASTR/ - root
- ITIS - suffix
- gastr means stomach
- -itis means inflammation
- Note: Drop combining vowel when suffix starts with a vowel (as in “itis”).
Example: GASTR/O/ENTER/O/LOGY
- GASTR/ - root
- O/ - combining vowels
- ENTER/ - root
- O/ - combining vowels
- LOGY - suffix
- gastr means stomach
- enter means intestines
- -logy means process of study

Three General Rules

READ the meaning of medical terms from the suffix back to the beginning of the term and across.
DROP the combining vowel (usually o) before a suffix beginning with a vowel: gastritis not “gastroitis”.
KEEP the combining vowel between two roots: gastroenterology not “gastrenterology”.

Example: HYPO/GASTR/IC
- HYPO/ - prefix
- GASTR/ - root
- IC - suffix
- hypo- means below
- gastr means stomach
- -ic means pertaining to
Example: EPI/GASTR/IC
- EPI/ - prefix
- GASTR/ - root
- IC - suffix
- epi- means above
- gastr means stomach
- -ic means pertaining to

Combining Forms

Suffixes

-ac - pertaining to
-al - pertaining to
-algia - pain
-cyte - cell
-ectomy - excision, removal
Quick Quiz: Which suffix means to “cut out” or remove? A. -ectomy
-emia - blood condition
-genic - produced by or in
-globin - protein
-gram - record
-ic, -ical - pertaining to
-ion - process
-ist - specialist
-itis - inflammation
-logy - process of study
-oma - tumor, mass, swelling
-opsy - process of viewing
-osis - condition, usually abnormal
-pathy - disease condition
-scope - instrument to visually examine
-scopy - process of visually examining
-sis - state of; condition
-tomy - process of cutting, incision
-y - process, condition

Prefixes

a-, an- no, not, without
aut-, auto- self, own
dia- complete, through
endo- within
epi- above, upon
ex-, exo- out, outside of, outward
hyper- excessive, above, more than normal
hypo- deficient, below, under, less than normal
in- into, in
peri- surrounding, around
pro- before, forward
re- back, backward, again
retro- behind
sub- below, under
trans- across, through

Pronunciation of Terms

When ¯ is above a vowel, the sound is long. For example:
- $\bar{a}$ as in ape
- $\bar{o}$ as in open
When ˘ is above a vowel, the sound is short. For example:
- $\breve{a}$ as in apple
- $\breve{o}$ as in pot
The capitalized syllable is accented.
- Examples:
  - adenitis ăd-ĕ-Nī-tĭs
  - biology bī-OL-ō-jē
  - cephalic se-FĂL-ĭk
  - iatrogenic i-ăt-rō-JĔN-ĭk
  - resection rē-SĔK-shŭn