Veterinary Terminology

Why Learn Clinical Veterinary Terminology

  • Build and understand medical terms

  • Read/write/interpret medical records

  • Comprehend professional journal articles

  • Client communication

Components of Medical Terms

  • Root Word

    • Basis for the definition

    • Tells you what the medical term is about

    • EX.

      • arthr - joint

      • oste - bone

  • Suffix

    • Modifies the root, gives it a specific meaning

    • Ending of the word

    • Can NOT stand alone

    • EX.

      • -pathy - disease

      • -itis - inflammation

  • Prefix

    • Usually denotes a quantity, location condition status, or time

    • Front of the word

    • Can NOT stand alone

    • EX.

      • poly- many

  • Combining Vowel

    • Frequently used to link a word root to the suffix or to another root

    • Most common combining vowel is o, second is a

    • Rule: If the suffix begins with a consonant, a combining vowel is needed

      • When linking two root words, a combining vowel is ALWAYS needed

Analyzing Medical Terms

  • Divide the word into its basic parts

    • Polyarthropathy = poly/arthr/o/pathy

  • Start with the suffix -> define the prefix -> define the root

    • Polyarthropathy = disease of many joints

  • If two or more roots are present, define them from left to right

    • Polyosteoarthropathy = poly/oste/o/arthr/o/pathy

  • EX.

    • Hemorrhage = hem/o/rrhage

      • blood + burst open = bursting of blood (excessive bleeding)

Words Used w/ Animal Diseases

Word

Definition

Zoology

The scientific study of animals

Zoonosis

A disease that can be transferred to humans and animals

Zoonotic

An infectious disease that has transferred from a non-human animal to humans

Morbidity

The state of being symptomatic or unhealthy for a disease or condition

Mortality

Death

Acute

Severe and sudden onset

Chronic

Something that continues over an extended period of time

Common Abbreviations

Abbreviation

Meaning

F

Female

M

Male

C

Castrated

N

Neutered

S

Spayed

K-9

Canine

Fel

Feline

LA

Large Animal

SA

Small Animal

DLH

Domestic Longhair

DSH

Domestic Shorthair

PO

By mouth (per os)

BID

Twice a day

SID

Once a day

TID

Three times a day

QID

Four times a day

Q#h

Every # hours

Accepted Veterinary Medical Shorthand and Acronyms

Terms That Defy Word Analysis

Word

Definition

Benign

Non-cancerous

Exacerbation

An acute increase in the severity of a problem, illness, or bad

Idiopathic

Arising spontaneously or form of an unknown cause

In vitro

Outside of a living organism

In vivo

Inside of a living organism

Infection

When something is invading or growing within the body that should not be there

Inflammation

Body’s response to injury or infection

Malignant

Used to describe cancer

Remission

Reduction or disappearance of signs and symptoms of a disease

Signs

Direct indication of a disease

Symptoms

Indirect indication of disease

Parts of Words

Word Part

P/R/S

Definition

-a

Noun, no true meaning

-ac

Pertaining to

-al

Pertaining to

-ant

State or condition

-ar

Pertaining to

arthr/o

Joint

-ate

Something that results from

-ation

Action, process, condition, state, or result of

chondr/o

Cartilage

cost/o

Rib

dia-

Through, between

dys-

Difficult

-ectomy

Excision, surgical removal, cut out

eti/o

Cause or origin

gen/o

Produce/production

-gnosis

Knowledge of

hyster/o

Uterus

-ia

Condition of, diseased state, abnormal state

-ide

Used in naming binary or chemical compounds

-ion

Action, process, state, or result in doing something

-is

Condition of

-ism

State of

-ist

One who studies

-itis

Inflammation

-ium

Structure or tissue

-ive

Pertaining to

-ize

To make, treat, or combine with

log/o

Study

-logy

Study of

neo-

New

-oid

Resembling

-ole

Small

-oma

Tumor, swelling

oophor/o

Ovary/ovarian

-or

Pertaining to

-ory

Pertaining to

-ose

Full of, pertaining to, or sugar

-osis

Abnormal condition

oste/o

Bone

-ous

Pertaining to

ovari/o

Ovary

path/o

Disease

-pathy

Disease

-phyte

A specified kind of growth

plas/o

Formation or new development

-plam

Living substance, tissue, or substance of a cell

poly-

Many

pro-

Before

salping/o

Fallopian tube

-sarcoma

Malignant tumor

-sion

The state of

-sis

Process or condition

somat/o

Body, bodily

-stasis

Stop, control, standing

-(t)ic

Pertaining to

-tion

Act, state of

-ule

Small

-um

No meaning

-y

Pertaining to