LESSON 1: MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY  The greek word kardia, for example,

meaning “heart”, gives us the root cardi.

MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY The latin word pulmo, meaning “lung”,
 The language that is used to accurately gives us the root pulm.
describe the human body and  In a few instances, both the Greek and
associated components, conditions, Latin roots are used. We find both the
processes, and procedures in a science- Greek root nephr and the Latin root ren
based manner. used in word pertaining to the kidney.
 It is a special vocabulary used by health
care professionals for effective and COMBINING FORMS (CF)
accurate communication.  Correct pronunciation of medical words
 Because it is based mainly on Greek and is important.
Latin words, medical terminology is  In order to make the pronunciation of
consistent and uniform throughout the word roots easier, sometimes it is
world. necessary to insert a vowel after the root.
 It is also efficient; although some of the  Combining Form (CF) is a Word Root
terms are long, they often reduce an (WR), plus a vowel, usually an “o”
entire phrase to a single word.
EXAMPLE: gastr/o = gastro
BASIC ELEMENTS OF A MEDICAL WORD Gastr: word root
1. Word Root O: combining vowel
2. Combining Form
3. Suffix  When a word has more than one root, a
4. Prefix combining vowel is used to link the root
to each other.
WORD ROOT
1. Main part or foundation of a word. EXAMPLE: oste/o/arthr/it is = osteoarthritis
2. All words have at least one word root. Oste: word root
3. Frequently indicates a body part. O: combining vowel
4. Usually derived from Greek or Latin. Arthr: word root
Itis: suffix
 The fundamental unit of each medical
word is the root. This establishes the basic SUFFIX
meaning of the word and is the part to  Word ending
which modifying prefixes and suffixes are  Suffix usually indicates a procedure,
added. condition, disease, or part of speech
 A suffix is a short word part or series of  Usually derived from Greek or Latin
parts added at the end of a root to
modify its meaning. In this book suffixes SUFFIX MEANING SAMPLE WORD
are indicated by a dash before the suffix, -centesis Puncture Thoracentesis
such as -itis. -tomy Incision Thoracotomy
 A prefix is a short word part added -megaly Enlargement Cardiomegaly
before a root to modify its meaning. In
this book prefixes are indicated by a PREFIXES
dash after the prefix, such as pre-.  Word element located at the beginning
of a word.
EXAMPLES OF WORD ROOTS:  Changes the meaning of the word.
Greek Word Meaning Word Root  Usually indicates a number, time,
Kardia Heart Cardi position, direction, color, or sense of
Gaster Stomach Gastri negation.
Hepar Liver Hepat
Nephros Kidney Nephr PREFIX MEANING SAMPLE
Osteon Bone Oste WORD
A- Absence Apnea
REMEMBER Hyper- Elevated Hypertension
 Not all roots are complete words. In fact, Intra- Inside Intramuscular
most medical roots are derived from
other languages and are meant to be
used in combinations.
DECODING MEDICAL TERMS computerese, RAM stands for “random
1. Start with the suffix (word ending) and access memory”.
define the suffix.
2. Go to the prefix; define the prefix.
3. Then go to the middle of the word; define
the word root, combining form, or both if
both exist in the same word.
4. Combine the definitions.

COMPOUND WORDS
EXAMPLE: trans neuro cost al

Prefix: trans=across
C.F.= neur/o=nerve
W.R.: cost=rib KEY TERMS
Suffix: -al=pertaining to ACRONYM : an abbreviation formed from the
first letter of each word in a phrase.
Meaning: pertaining to across the nerves of the COMBINING FORM : a word root in combination
ribs. with a vowel used to link the root with a suffix.
Combining forms are shown with a slash
PLURAL FORMS between the root and the vowel, as in neur/o.
 When a singular word ends in y, the plural PREFIX : a word part added before a root
is often formed by changing y to i and modify its meaning.
adding es. ROOT : the fundamental unit of a word.
 When a singular word ends in a, add e to SUFFIX : a word part added to the end of a root
form the plural. to modify its meaning.
 If a singular word ends in um, change the
um to a to form the plural.

EXAMPLE OF PLURAL FORMS:

Emergencies -> Emergencies
Fimbria -> Fimbriae
Atrium -> Atria

MEDICAL ABBREVIATIONS
 Universally accepted abbreviations
system abbreviations: “when in doubt,
spell it out.”
Example: CXR = chest X-ray
 Abbreviations can consist of the first
letter in each word in the term.
Example: ER = emergency room
 Abbreviations can be from Latin or
Greek.
Example: Abbreviation for Latin phrase
ante cibum is a.c. = before meals.

ABBREVIATIONS
 Like symbols, abbreviations can save
time, but they can also cause confusion
if they are not universally understood.
 Usage varies in different institutions, and
the same abbreviation may have
different meanings in different fields.
 An acronym is an abbreviation formed
from the first letter of each word in a
phrase. Some everyday acronyms are
ASAP (as soon as possible) and ATM
(automated teller machine). In
QUIZ d. Hebrew and Greek
1. When defining a medical term, you
should start with which part? 9. What should you do if you are not sure
a. Prefix that your medical abbreviation is
b. Word Root universally accepted?
c. Suffix a. Use the first letters of its English word
d. Combining Form b. Use the first letters of its Italian word
c. Use the first letters of its Greek word
2. The language that is used to accurately d. Just spell out the word
describe the human body and
associated components, conditions, 10. To make a singular word that ends in
processes and procedures in a science- “um” into plural form:
based manner: a. Add “s”
a. Anatomy b. Add “’s”
b. Medical Terminology c. Change “um” to “a”
c. Pharmacology d. Change “um” to “i” and add “es”
d. Physiology

3. In compound words, what forms are

used between word roots?
a. Prefix
b. Word Root
c. Suffix
d. Combining Form

4. What letter is usually used as combining

form?
a. “a”
b. “ae”
c. “i”
d. “o”

5. The element of medical word that

frequently indicates a body part:
a. Prefix
b. Word Root
c. Suffix
d. Combining Form

6. The element of medical word that

frequently indicates a body part:
a. Prefix
b. Word Root
c. Suffix
d. Combining Form

7. It usually indicates a number, time,

position, direction, color, or sense of
negation:
a. Prefix
b. Word Root
c. Suffix
d. Combining Form

8. Medical Terminologies are usually

derived from what languages?
a. English and Latin
b. Latin and Greek
c. Greek and Arabic