Medical Terminology

Medical Terminology An Introduction

Using Medical Abbreviations • Shortened forms for convenience • Usually just letters • Agencies have their approved • lists of abbreviations—if not on list, • do not use • Health care workers are expected to • recognize most common • abbreviations

Medical Terminology was derived primarily from Greek & Latin --these were the languages of scholarly people in ancient times

Greeks: founders of modern medicine • Hippocrates— • Four body humors: • black bile, yellow bile, blood & phlegm • Too much black bile caused depression • Called conditionmelancholy • Literally means condition of black bile

you might see different terms & acronyms that mean the same thing. Because of this use of two languages, Example: • EKG • ECG - “K” (kardia) = heart --Greek electro/kardio/gram -“C” (cardia) = heart -- Latin electro/cardio/gram

Impossible to memorize all the medical words individually, so determine meaning of words by breakingit into parts • These word parts are used over and over in different combinations • If the word parts are known, then the word can be broken down and interpreted

Medical terminology is very interesting & insightful.

Greek mythology tells us of beautiful, fierce woman warriors. Take the word Amazon. • They were excellent in archery & fighting. • They fought oppression of men. • Men called them Amazonwarriors.

What does the Greek word amazonmean? • Amazon comes from the Greek word: amazos • The “a” is a prefix that means “without” • “mazos” is the word root, which means “breast” • Translated, Amazon refers to “without a breast” • Greek mythology has it that these fierce women cut off their right breast in order to better handle their bows and arrows.

Another interesting medical root is gastr/o • This root means stomach • gastr/itis = inflamed stomach • Gastr/ologist = stomach doctor

How is it, then, that the calf muscle is called the gastrocnemius muscle? • In ancient times, gastr/o was a Greek word meaning “belly” • Since calf muscle “bellied” out, the root gastr/o was used to describe it.

Now for the basics---

Medical words are like individual jigsaw puzzles-- each piece is a word part that comes together to form a medical term. prefix suffix root

Example: ologist dermat dermatologist = skin doctor

Medical terms may have4word parts: • Root • Prefix • Suffix • Combining form

1. thewordroot • Gives basic meaning of term • each medical term contains one or more roots • Unlike English roots, which can stand alone, most medical roots are meant to be used in combinations. Example: heart - cardi/

In medical terminology roots usually indicate a body part: pulmon/o dent/o cardi/o enter/o

2.theprefixis • a word part added before a root to modify its meaning • many medical terms do not have a prefix Example:pretest

A prefix usually indicates a: • Number • Time • Position • Sense of negation

Prefix examples: • “number” prefixes • uni- (uni/corn) • bi- (bi/lateral) • tri- (tri/athlon) • “time” prefixes • pre- (pre/test) • post- (post/test)

“position” prefixes • sub- (sub/marine) • trans- (trans/atlantic) • hypo- (hypo/dermic) • “negation” prefixes • a- (a/moral) • an- (an/aerobic)

3. thesuffixis • a word part added to end of root to modify its meaning • most medical terms have a suffix Example: root--teachto teacher

In medical terminology, a suffix often times indicates: • a procedure ( -ectomy= surgical removal of) append/ectomy • a condition ( -osis= abnormal condition of) halit/osis • a disease ( -itis= inflammation of) tonsill/itis

root/ prefix/suffixexamples: • Root example:write • Suffix example:writer • Prefix example:rewrite • See how both the suffix & prefix modify the root?

4. Combining Vowel • usually an “o” that is used between word parts • eases pronunciation Examples: therm/o/meter

“i” or “e” pelv/i or chol/e • occasionally other vowels are used: • A root word plus a vowel is referred to as a “combining form”. combining form = root = hepat/ hepat/o

Roots & combining forms are indicated by slash “/ ” between root and vowel. cardi/o

IMPORTANT: Try to learn combining forms rather than word roots because: combining forms are easier to pronounce. Example: Difficult to pronounce: gastr Easier to pronounce: gastr/o

Guidelines For Using Combining Vowels • Rule 1 • If asuffixbegins with a vowel, only use word root—not the combining form. • Example • suffix: -itis • root + suffix • hepat + -itis = hepat/itis

-If asuffixbegins with a consonant, use the combining vowel • Rule 2 Example: wordroot combin. vowel suffix therm/ o -meter

Rule 3 • To link two root words, always use a combining vowel. Example: word roots combin. vowel suffix splen/ o hepat/ -itis

In most instances, the combining vowel is retained between two roots -even if the 2nd root begins with a vowel. word roots combin. vowel suffix chondr/ o arthr/ -algia

even if the last letter of the 1st root ends with a vowel (oste/)& • the 1st letter of the 2nd root begins with a vowel (arthr/), • you must still use the combining “o” • Example: • oste/+ o +arthr/+ -itis

Never use a combining vowel after a prefix, even if root begins with a consonant. Rule 4 Example: Never, never, NEVER!!! NO “O” HERE! prefix word root suffix post/ rhin/o -plasty

Three Basic Steps to Defining & Interpreting Medical Words: • First, define the suffix • Second, define the prefix (if one is used) • Last, define the middle part (root) of word

Example 1: sub/gastr/algia sub- + gastr/ + -algia (under) (stomach) (pain) prefix root suffix 2 3 1

Example 2:trans/cardi/o/pulmon/itis trans- cardi/o pulmon/ -itis + + + (across) (heart) (lungs) (inflam.) prefix root root suffix 4 1 2 3

Example 3:peri/oste/o/arthr/o/megaly peri- oste/o arthr/o -megaly + + + (around) (bone) (joints) (enlargement) prefix root root suffix 4 1 2 3

little note… • the root for heart =cardi/ • when you put this root with suffix,-itis, drop one “i” • instead of cardi/itis you would have: carditis

Time to practice!

Medical Terminology