Medical Terminology

Medical Terminology Level I Allied Health Careers

Introduction to Medical Terminology • The language of health care professionals • Derived from Latin and Greek • Used to help health care professionals to communicate

Pronunciation • Ch sounds like k • Med Tem examples : chyme, chronic

Ps sounds like s • Med Term examples: • pseudomonas, psoriasis

Pn sounds like n • Med Term examples: Pneumatic, Pneumocystic

C sounds like soft s, before e, I, and y • Med Term examples: cytoplasm, centrifuge

G sounds like j before e, i, and y • Med Term examples: gestation, generic

I sounds like eye when added to the end of a word to make it plural • Med Term examples: Glomeruli, Villi These people graduated from my school

Word Elements Root: subject of the medical term Prefix: added to the beginning of a medical term to modify or change the meaning Suffix: added to the end of a medical term to modify or change the meaning Combining vowel: usually o; ease of pronunciation

Changing Words from Singular to Plural • Add an –e to a word ending in -a (axilla to axillae)

Drop the –ax at the end of a word and add –aces ( thorax to thoraces )

Change the –x to –g in a word that ends in –nx and add –es ( phalanx into phalanges )

Drop –ix or exat the end of a word and add –ices ( appendix to appendices )

Drop the –y at the end of a word and add –ies ( myringotomy to myringotomies )

Drop the –us at the end of a word and add an –I ( alveolus to alveoli )

Drop the –onat the end of a wordand add an –a ( ganglion to ganglia)

Drop the –isat the end of a word and add –es ( metastasis to metastases) • Drop the –umat the end of a word and add an –a ( ischium to ischia )

Drop the –ma at the end of the word and add –a ( stoma to stomata )

Medical Terminology