MEDICAL TEMINOLOGY

• Medical terminology is derived primarily from the classic Greek and Latin languages
• It is not necessary to master either Greek or Latin to obtain a solid background in basic medical terminology
• Medical terms


  Combinations of three major word parts: prefixes, word roots, and suffixes
• The same prefixes and suffixes are frequently used with different word roots
• Knowledge of commonly used prefixes, word roots, and suffixes

  Can provide an extensive medical vocabulary and the medical communication skills necessary for successful job performance
• Prefixes


  Letters or syllables added to the beginning of a word root to alter its meaning
• What prefixes indicate


  • Direction
  • Number
  • Position
  • Size
  • Presence or absence
  • Time
• Suffixes


  Letters or syllables added to the end of a word root to alter its meaning
• Suffixes in medical terminology

  Often indicate a condition or a type of procedure
• It is necessary to memorize common prefixes and suffixes
• Relating prefixes and suffixes to familiar terms makes the memorization process easier
• Word roots


  The main part of a word that may be combined with prefixes, suffixes, or other roots
• Combining form


  A word root containing a vowel, usually "o", used to facilitate pronunciation when combined with another word root or suffix
• Body systems associated with common word roots

  • Anatomy
  • Cardiovascular
  • Digestive
  • Endocrine
  • Integumentary
  • Musculoskeletal
  • Nervous
  • Reproductive
  • Respiratory
  • Urinary
• When defining a medical term, start with the suffix, then define the prefix, and lastly the word root
• Medical terms have different plural forms that the phlebotomist should become familiar with
• • sthenia


  strength
• • stenosis


  narrowing, tightening
• • stomy


  new opening
• • taxia


  muscle coordination
• • tension


  pressure
• • therapy


  treatment
• • tome


  instrument for cutting
• • tomy


  incision
• • tony


  tension
• • tripsy


  crushing
• • trophy


  development
• • tropin


  stimulation
• • tropic


  turning toward
• • ula, -ule


  small, little
• • uria


  pertaining to urine
• • y


  condition, process
• Combining Forms and Associated Body Systems


  • anter/o - front, before
  • dist/o - distant
  • dors/o - back
  • kary/o - nucleus
  • later/o - side
  • medi/o - middle
  • poster/o - back, behind
  • proxim/o - near
  • viscer/o - internal organs
• Integumentary System Combining Forms

  • albin/o - white
  • carcin/o - cancer
  • cutane/o, dermat/o, derm/o - skin
  • erythemat/o - redness
  • hidr/o - sweat
  • hist/o - tissue
  • hydr/o - water
  • kerat/o - hard tissue
  • melan/o - black
  • onych/o - nail
  • seb/o - sebum or oily secretion
  • squam/o - scalelike
  • trich/o - hair
  • xanth/o - yellow
• Skeletal System Combining Forms

  • arthr/o - joint
  • axill/o - armpit
  • cephal/o - head
  • caud/o - tail
  • chrondr/o - cartilage
  • cost/o - ribs
  • dactyl/o - finger or toe
  • fibul/o - fibula
  • humer/o - humerus
  • mandibul/o - lower jawbone
  • maxill/o - upper jawbone
  • myel/o - bone marrow
  • orth/o - straight
  • oste/o - bone
  • patell/o - kneecap
  • rheumat/o - watery flow
  • sacr/o - sacrum
  • scapul/o - shoulder blade
  • spondyl/o - vertebrae
  • synov/i - synovial membrane
• Muscular System Combining Forms

  • fibr/o - fibrous connective tissue
  • my/o, muscul/o - muscle
  • kinesi/o - movement
• Nervous System Combining Forms

  • cerebell/o - cerebellum
  • cerebr/o - cerebrum
  • crani/o - skull
  • encephal/o - brain
  • gli/o - glue
  • mening/o - meninges
  • neur/o - nerve
• Respiratory System Combining Forms


  • alveol/o - alveolus, air sac
  • bronch/o - bronchus
  • cyan/o - blue
  • nas/o, rhin/o - nose
  • olfact/o - sense of smell
  • pector/o, thorac/o - chest
  • pleur/o - pleura
  • pneum/o - air, lung
  • pulmon/o - lung
  • spir/o - breathe
  • steth/o - chest
  • trache/o - trachea, wind pipe
• Digestive System Combining Forms

  • abdomin/o - abdomen
  • adip/o, lip/o, steat/o - fat
  • amyl/o - starch
  • bil/i, chol/o - bile, gall
  • bucc/o - cheek
  • celi/o, lapar/o - abdomen
  • cholecyst/o - gallbladder
  • choledoch/o - common bile duct
  • cirrh/o - yellow
  • col/o - colon
  • dent/i, odont/o - tooth
  • enter/o - intestine
  • esophag/o - esophagus
  • gastr/o - stomach
  • gingiv/o - gums
  • gloss/o, lingu/o - tongue
  • gluc/o, glyc/o - glucose
  • hepat/o - liver
  • icter/o - jaundice
  • lith/o - stone
  • or/o, stomat/o - mouth
  • proct/o - rectum
  • sigmoid/o - sigmoid colon
• Urinary System Combining Forms

  • cyst/o - urinary bladder
  • glomerul/o - glomerulus
  • micturit/o - urination
  • nephr/o, ren/o - kidney
  • noct/i - night
  • olig/o - scanty
  • pyel/o - renal
  • ur/o, urin/o - urine