Chapter 1 and 2

Elements

• Roots, combining forms, and combining vowels make up the word.'

• Prefixes will come before the root.

• Suffixes come after the root.

Roots

• Roots are the element which provide the core meaning of the term.

• They are often Greek or Latin origin.

• Often have one or more roots and can appear anywhere.

• More than one root can have the same meaning.

• A root and a combining vowel create a combining form.

• Pneumonia: Has the ROOT pneumon-, taken from the Greek word meaning lung or air. Greek root pneum-, also means lung or air.

• ROOT pulmon-, is Latin and meanings lung. Pulmonlogist works on lungs.

• ROOT pyrex-, means heat, originating from the Greek word "pyrexis" which refers to an elevation of body temperature.

Combining Forms

Roots are conjoined with other elements in a medical term by adding a combining vowel, such as the letter “o”, to the end of a root. Example: “pneum-” + “-o-” = pneum/o-

• Example: pulmon- (root: lung) + “-o-” (combining vowel) = pulmon/o- (combining form)

• Example: respir- (root: breathe) + “-a” (combining vowel) = respir/a- (combining form)

• Example: Hemopneumothorax (presence of air and blood in the space that surrounds the lungs.)

  • Roots: Hem- (Greek: Blood), pneum- (Greek: lung/air)

  • Suffix: -thorax (Greek: Chest)

  • Combining Vowel: “o” turns Hem/o and pneum/o.

• Vowels: “a,” “e,” “i,” “o,” or “u”, can be used as combining vowels, but "o" is the most common in medical terminology.

Suffixes

• Group of letters positioned at the end of a medical term; it attaches to the end of a root or combing form. It can have multiple meanings.

• Suffixes which begin with a consonant need a combing vowel to the root while suffixes that start with a vowel do not require a combining vowel.

  • Consonant: A letter that represents a speech sound used in forming words;

Example: ROOT gene-, is often teamed with suffix -tic. This forms the word genetic, which means the knowledge of or the science of inheritence of traits and variation in living organisms.

• ROOT gene- can also be teamed with suffix -tics, -ist (specialist) and more.

Example: ROOT Cardio-, turned into combining form “cardio/o” can be used with a lot of SUFFIXES. For example, Cardio-logy, study of heart and it’s functions. An Cardio-logist is a cardiology professional who can diagnose a Cardio-pathy.

• -logy: Study of

• -logist: one who studies or a specialist

• -pathy: disease or disorder of.

• -itis: inflammation of.

Example: DERMATITIS, inflammation of the skin.

• ROOT: Dermat- (skin)

• SUFFIX: -itis, indicating a condition characterized by inflammation.

Example: Arthroscopy, arthroplasty and arthrodesis.

• ROOT: Arthro - (joint)

• Combing vowel: “o”

• SUFFIX: scopy - examination; desis - fixation; plasty - surgical repair

Diagnostic Suffixes

• -chezia: pass of a stool; hemato/ochezia is the passage of bloody stool.

• -crit: to separate; hemat/o-crit is the percentage of red blood cells in blood

• -gram: record; cardi/o-gram is the record of the heart

• -graph: graph; cardi/o-graph is an graphing derived from the heart.

• -lysis: elimination; hem/o-lysis is the breakdown of blood cells.

• -oma: tumor,mass; hemat-oma is a localized swelling filled with blood, often resulting from a bruise or injury.

• -philia: attraction; hemo-philia is an affinity for certain substances, such as in hemophilia, which is a genetic disorder that impairs the body's ability to make blood clots.

• -ptysis: spitting; hemoptysis refers to the coughing up of blood or blood-stained mucus from the respiratory tract.

• -rrhage: flow profuesly; HEM/”O”-RRHAGE to bleed profusely

• -rrhoid: to flow; HEM/”O”-RRHOID - painful swelling of anus.

• -ia: condition

Surgical Suffixes

• -centesis: surgical puncture - arthr/”o”-centesis = surgical puncture of a joint space

• -desis: fixation - arthr/”o”-desis = surgical fixation of the bones of a joint

• -ectomy: surgical removal - append-ectomy = surgical removal of appendix

• -plasty: surgical repair - rhin/”o”-plasty = surgical repair of the nose

• -rrhaphy: surgical suture - herni/”o”-rrhaphy = surgical suture of a hernia.

• -stomy: surgical formation of an opening; trache/”o”-stomy = surgical formation of an opening in the trachea.

• -tomy: surgical incision; trache/”o”-tomy = surgical incision into the trachea

• -tripsy: crushing; lith/”o”-tripsy = crushing of a stone.

Pathologic Suffixes

• -ALGIA: pain; artha-algia = pain in joints.

• -ECTASIS: dilation; bronchi-ectasis = chronic dilation of bronchi

• -ITIS: inflammation; tonsill-itis = inflammation of the tonsils.

• -EDEMA: swelling; lymph-edema = swelling due to excess lymph fluid.

• -OMA: tumor, mass; hemat-oma = localized collection of blood outside of blood vessels.

• -OSIS: abnormal condition; cyan-OSIS = dark blue coloration of blood due to lack of oxygen

• -PATHY: disease; neur/”o”-pathy = disease of nervous system

• -PENIA: deficiency, lack of; leuk/o-penia = deficiency of white blood cells.

• -PHOBIA: fear off; agora-phobia = fear of open or crowded spaces.

• -STENOSIS: narrowing; arteri/”o”-stenosis = abnormal narrowing of arteries.

• -mesis: vomiting; hyper-emesis = excessive vomiting.

Adjectival Suffixes

• -ac, -al, -ale, -alis, -ar, -aris, -ary, -atic, -ative, -eal, -ent, -etic, -ial, -ic, -ica, -ical, -ine, -ior, -iosum, -ious, -istic, -ius, -nic, -ous, -tic, -tiz, -tous, -us.

• Examples: -ac cardiac pertaining to heart; -ary pulmonary pertaining to lungs.

  
  

Noun Suffixes

• iatry: treatment, medical specialty; psychiatry = diagnose and treatment of mental disorders.

• ician: expert; pediatr-ician: medial specialist in children’s development

• icle: small or diminutive; particle = a small part of a larger whole.

• ist: expert; dentist = a medical specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of oral health issues.

• -istry: medial speciality = denistry

• -ole: a suffix used to denote a smaller version of something, often conveying a sense of affection or diminutiveness.

• -ule: a suffix used to denote a smaller version of something, often conveying a sense of affection or diminutiveness.

  
  

Prefixes

Always added directly to beginning of term, to root or combining form. Do not require combing vowels.

Prefixes act more of the location, despite the root:

• peri-cardium: around; structure around the heart

• endo-cardium: inside; structure inside the heart

Prefixes of position

• circum = around

• para = adajacent

• intra = inside

• peri = around

• retro = backwards

• supra = above

• trans - across

• ultra = higher

Prefixes of measurement

• brady- → slow; brady-card-ia (slow heart)

• di- → two; di-pole (a molecule with two poles)

• eu- normal; eu-pnea (normal breathing)

• hemi- half; hemi- paresis (weakness on one side of the body)

• pan - all; pan-cyto-penia (a reduction in the number of red and white blood cells and platelets).

• primi - first; primi-para (a woman who has given birth for the first time).

• tachy - rapid; tachy-card-ia (rapid heart rate)

  
  

Old lingo

• Medical: Latin term to heal

• Care: Old English word to worry.

• Patient: Old English term to suffer or undergo

• Apex: Latin word meaning tip or summit.

• patent: Latin word meaning open and or exposed.

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Plurals

Axilla → Axillae

Thorax → Thoraces

Lumen → Lumina

Cortex → cortices

Diagnosis → diagnoses

Epididymis → epididymides

Appendix → Appendices

Carcinoma → Carcinomata