Medical terminology:

Group 1: Prefixes (The "Where" or "How Much")

  • A- / An- ➔ Without, missing, or completely lacking (e.g., Anoxia = no oxygen).

  • Brady- ➔ Abnormally slow (e.g., Bradycardia = slow heart rate).

  • Tachy- ➔ Abnormally fast (e.g., Tachycardia = fast heart rate).

  • Hyper- ➔ High, excessive, or overactive (e.g., Hyperglycemia = high blood sugar).

  • Hypo- ➔ Low, under, or deficient (e.g., Hypoxia = low oxygen in tissues).

  • Isch- ➔ Restriction, blocking, or holding back (e.g., Ischemia = blocked blood flow).

  • Poly- ➔ Many, excessive, or frequent (e.g., Polyuria = excessive urination).

  • Olig- / Oligo- ➔ Scant, few, or exceptionally low (e.g., Oliguria = low urine output).

  • Dys- ➔ Bad, painful, abnormal, or difficult (e.g., Dyspnea = difficult breathing).

  • Idio- ➔ Self, individual, or distinct (e.g., Idiopathic = unknown primary cause).

  • Iatro- ➔ Caused by a physician, medicine, or treatment (e.g., Iatrogenic infection).

  • Hem- / Hemo- / Hemat- ➔ Relating to blood (e.g., Hematuria = blood in the urine).

  • Leuko- ➔ White (e.g., Leukocyte = white blood cell).

  • Erythro- ➔ Red (e.g., Erythrocyte = red blood cell).

  • Neo- ➔ New (e.g., Neoplasm = new cellular growth/tumor).

Group 2: Suffixes (The "What is Happening")

  • -itis ➔ Inflammation of a tissue or organ (e.g., Gastritis = inflamed stomach).

  • -oma ➔ Tumor, mass, or fluid collection (e.g., Melanoma = skin cancer tumor).

  • -lysis ➔ Destruction, breaking down, or bursting open (e.g., Hemolysis = destruction of red blood cells).

  • -megaly ➔ Enlargement of an organ (e.g., Cardiomegaly = enlarged heart).

  • -pathy ➔ Disease, disorder, or morbid condition (e.g., Nephropathy = kidney disease).

  • -penia ➔ Deficiency, lack of, or abnormal reduction (e.g., Leukopenia = low white blood cell count).

  • -pnea ➔ Relating to breathing or respiration (e.g., Tachypnea = fast breathing).

  • -uria ➔ Present in the urine (e.g., Proteinuria = protein in the urine).

  • -emia ➔ Present in the blood (e.g., Toxemia = toxins in the blood).

  • -genic ➔ Originating from, produced by, or caused by (e.g., Cardiogenic = caused by the heart).

  • -algia ➔ Pain in a specific area (e.g., Arthralgia = joint pain).

  • -stasis ➔ Stopping, slowing down, or standing still (e.g., Hemostasis = stopping blood flow).

  • -emesis ➔ The act of vomiting (e.g., Hematemesis = vomiting blood).

  • -ectasis ➔ Dilation, stretching, or expansion of a tubular structure (e.g., Atelectasis = collapsed lung/incomplete expansion).

Group 3: Core Target Organ Roots

  • Cardi/o ➔ Heart

  • Myo- ➔ Muscle

  • Angi/o or Vas/o ➔ Blood vessel

  • Arteri/o ➔ Artery

  • Thromb/o ➔ Blood clot

  • Gastr/o ➔ Stomach

  • Enter/o ➔ Intestines

  • Hepat/o ➔ Liver

  • Chlo/e ➔ Bile or gall

  • Cyst/o ➔ Bladder or a fluid-filled sac

  • Nephr/o or Ren/o ➔ Kidney

  • Pneum/o or Pulmon/o ➔ Lungs

  • Encephal/o ➔ Brain

  • Mening/o ➔ Meninges (protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord)

  • Arthr/o ➔ Joint

  • Oste/o ➔ Bone

  • Glyc/o ➔ Glucose or sugar

  • Lith/o ➔ Stone or calculus

Group 4: High-Yield Disease Presentation Vocab

  • Sign ➔ An objective, measurable finding observed by a clinician (e.g., fever, rash, high blood pressure).

  • Symptom ➔ A subjective experience felt and reported exclusively by the patient (e.g., pain, nausea, dizziness, fatigue).

  • Etiology ➔ The precise root cause or origin of a medical condition or disease.

  • Pathogenesis ➔ The step-by-step cellular and physiological development or progression of a disease.

  • Necrosis ➔ Accidental, unprogrammed cell death caused by external injury or disease, leading to tissue inflammation.

  • Apoptosis ➔ Highly programmed, orderly "cell suicide" that removes unwanted or damaged cells without causing surrounding inflammation.

  • Perfusion ➔ The physiological process of delivering oxygenated blood to the body's capillary beds and vital organs.

  • Vasodilation ➔ The widening and relaxation of blood vessels, which causes system-wide blood pressure to drop.

  • Vasoconstriction ➔ The narrowing and tightening of blood vessels, which raises system-wide blood pressure.

  • Anaplasia ➔ A total loss of cellular differentiation and structure, which is a key hallmark of highly malignant, aggressive cancers.

  • Ascites ➔ An abnormal accumulation of protein-rich fluid in the abdominal cavity, typically caused by severe liver failure (Cirrhosis).

  • Jaundice ➔ A yellow tinting of the skin and eyes caused by an abnormal buildup of bilirubin in the blood due to liver or gallbladder failure.

  • Hemoptysis ➔ The coughing up or spitting of blood or blood-stained mucus from the respiratory tract.

  • Paresthesia ➔ An abnormal sensation of burning, prickling, or a "pins-and-needles" feeling on the skin.

  • Ptosis ➔ Abnormal drooping of the upper eyelid, usually caused by nerve damage or muscle weakness (classic sign of Myasthenia Gravis).

  • Diplopia ➔ Visually seeing two images of a single object simultaneously; commonly known as double vision.