Language of Medicine

Overview of Medical Terminology

  • Medical language can seem complex but facilitates clear communication among professionals.

  • Learning medical terms is essential for effective conversation in the field.

  • Repeated practice enhances familiarity with medical language.

Word Components

  • Medical terms consist of:

    • Root Words

    • Prefixes

    • Suffixes

  • Understanding components helps decode complex terms and aids in learning.

  • Origin of word parts is important for comprehension.

Learning Outcomes

  • After this module, you will be able to:

    • Define common root words, prefixes, and suffixes in medical terminology.

    • Combine these elements to create various medical terms.

    • Analyze medical terms via their word parts.

    • Reference a glossary of root words, prefixes, and suffixes.

Common Medical Root Words

  • Familiarity with root words simplifies understanding terms.

  • Examples include:

    • Bi/o - life

    • Lip/o - fat

    • Cardi/o - heart

  • Scleroderma example:

    • Scler/o means hard and derma means skin; relates to collagen overproduction.

Table of Root Words

  • Key root words in medical terms:

    • Angi/o - blood vessel

    • Gastr/o - stomach

    • My/o, Sarc/o - muscle

    • Arteri/o - artery

    • Hemat/o, hem/o - blood

    • Derm/o - skin

  • Practice with the Root Self-Test on Moodle.

Common Medical Prefixes

-Located before the root word. Note: More than one prefix can have the same meaning

  • Prefixes alter the meaning of root words. Examples include:

    • Hyper- - excessive

    • Anti- - against

  • Understand commonly used prefixes and their functions.

Table of Prefixes

  • Important prefixes to know:

    • A-, An- - lack of, without

    • Bi- - two, double

    • Hyper- - excessive

    • Intra- - within, inside

  • Use the Prefix Self-Test for practice.

Common Medical Suffixes

-Located after a root word. Note: Many medical words share common endings.

  • Suffixes are endings that provide additional meaning:

    • -ectomy - removal

    • -itis - inflammation

  • Example terms:

    • Hyster-ectomy - removal of the uterus

    • Leuko-penia - deficiency of white blood cells

Table of Suffixes

  • Notable suffixes include:

    • -algia - pain

    • -oma - tumor

    • -emia - blood condition

    • -logy - study of

  • Practice with the Suffix Self-Test on Moodle.

Discussion Module 1 – Word Challenge

  • Create/find 5 medical terms using word parts from this module.

  • Post your terms with definitions in the Forum.

  • Terms will be on the Final Exam as well as Midterm 1.

Explanations:

The terms "inter" and "intra" are prefixes used in medical terminology and generally convey different meanings:

-Inter- means "between" or "among" (like in "intercellular," which means the relationship between cells).

-Intra- means "within" or "inside" (like in "intravenous," which means inside a vein).

  • Etc-:

    • Short for 'et cetera'

    • Means 'and other things'

    • Not commonly used as a medical term

  • End-:

    • Means 'the end' or 'final'

    • Used in medical terms, e.g., 'endocarditis' (inflammation of the inner heart lining)

    • Indicates something finishing.

    • Within, inside