25 Hardest Medical Terms Flashcards

Medical Terminology Study Notes

• a-, an-: Prefix meaning "without," used to describe absence of a condition.
• angi/o-: Refers to "vessel," commonly associated with blood vessels in medical terminology.
• brady-: Prefix indicating "slow," often used in terms like bradycardia (slow heart rate).
• cephal/o-: Relates to the "head," used in terms like cephalalgia (headache).
• contra-: Prefix meaning "against," often used to denote opposition in medical terms.
• cost/o-: Refers to the "rib," helpful in anatomy and discussions about rib injuries or conditions.
• cyte, cyt/o-: Denotes "cell," essential in biological terms like leukocyte (white blood cell).
• dys-: Prefix meaning "painful" or "difficult," often indicating problematic conditions.
• -ectomy: Suffix meaning "surgical removal," as in appendectomy (removal of the appendix).
• genesis -genic: Pertains to "origin" or "producing," used in terms like carcinogenic (cancer-causing).
• hepat/o-: Refers to the "liver," relevant in discussions of liver diseases and functions.
• -itis: Suffix indicating "inflammation," seen in terms like arthritis (inflammation of joints).
• later/o-: Refers to "to one side," useful in directional terms in anatomy.
• megaly: Indicates "enlarged," used in conditions like cardiomegaly (enlarged heart).
• neo-: Prefix meaning "new," often used in terms related to new growths or conditions.
• -osis: Suffix indicating an "abnormal condition," seen in terms like fibrosis (abnormal tissue condition).
• oste/o-: Relates to "bone," essential in discussing skeletal and bone-related issues.
• -ostomy: Suffix meaning "surgical opening," as in colostomy (surgical opening in the colon).
• -otomy: Indicates "incision into," useful in surgical terminology, such as laparotomy.
• para: Prefix meaning "beside," often used in anatomical terms to describe close proximity.
• -plasty: Refers to "surgical repair," as in rhinoplasty (surgery to correct the nose).
• stoma: Means "mouth," often related to openings created surgically.
• trans-: Prefix meaning "across," used in terms like transdermal (across the skin).
• arthr/o-: Refers to "joint," crucial for discussions related to joint conditions like arthritis.
• nephr/o: Pertains to the "kidney," essential for understanding kidney function and diseases.