Medical Terminology Basics

Medical Terminology

• Medical terminology is the language used to describe components and processes of the human body, medical procedures, diseases, disorders, and pharmacology.

Word Analysis

• Medical words are analyzed by dividing them into parts: prefix, root word, and suffix.
• Prefix: usually indicates location, time, number, or status, and is placed at the beginning of the word.
• Root word: basic meaning of the term, refers to a body part, and may be derived from Latin or Greek languages.
• Suffix: usually indicates procedure, condition, disorder, or disease, and is added to the end of the word root to complete the term.

Word Roots

• Examples of word roots include:
  • “dent” meaning tooth
  • “dermat” meaning skin
  • “cardi” meaning heart
  • “gastr” meaning stomach
  • “pancreat” meaning pancreas

Combining Forms

• A combining form is a word root with a combining vowel (usually “o”) added to make pronunciation easier.
• Combining forms consist of a word root and a combining vowel.

Suffixes

• A suffix is added to the end of a word root or combining form to modify its meaning.
• Examples of suffixes include “ology”, which means “the study of”.

Suffix “ology”

• The correct definition of the suffix “ology” is “the study of”.