Medical Terminology Basics

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Questions and Answers

What is the role of a suffix in medical terminology?

It usually indicates a profession or condition. (correct)

It combines with the word root to form a compound word.

It is always found at the beginning of a word.

It alters the meaning of the word root by indicating location.

Which of the following examples correctly illustrates a compound term?

Hepato + logy = Hepatology

Gastro + logy = Gastrology

Neur/o + therapy = Neurotherapy (correct)

Stomato + stomy = Stomatostomy

How is a compound word formed in medical terminology?

By adding a suffix only.

By using an abbreviation of a medical term.

By combining prefixes with suffixes.

By merging two word roots or a word root and a combining vowel. (correct)

What does the prefix 'neuro-' indicate in medical terms?

Relating to the brain or nerves. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT an example of a word root representing an organ?

Therapy Signup and view all the answers

What does the prefix 'dys-' indicate in medical terminology?

Faulty or difficult Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following terms refers to a false pregnancy?

Pseudocyesis Signup and view all the answers

The suffix '-oma' is commonly associated with what?

Tumor Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'hemolysis' refer to in medical terminology?

Destruction of red blood cells Signup and view all the answers

What is the meaning of the prefix 'contra-' in medical terminology?

Against Signup and view all the answers

What is the plural form of 'coccus'?

Cocci Signup and view all the answers

Which prefix means 'around'?

Circum- Signup and view all the answers

In anatomical directional terms, what term is used to describe something located towards the front of the body?

Anterior Signup and view all the answers

Which body plane divides the body into equal right and left halves?

Sagittal plane Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct term for a medical agent that works against fever?

Antipyretic Signup and view all the answers

Which of these is a prefix that means 'middle'?

Meso- Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a distance descriptor meaning 'closer to the trunk of the body'?

Proximal Signup and view all the answers

Which color prefix refers to 'blue'?

Cyano- Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Word Building Components

Medical terms are constructed from word roots, prefixes, and suffixes.
Word roots represent the core meaning of a term.
Prefixes are added at the beginning of a word and modify its meaning.
Suffixes are added at the end of a word and change its grammatical function (e.g., noun, adjective).

Major Organ Word Roots

Stomato: Mouth
Dento: Teeth
Gingiva: Gums
Glosso/linguo: Tongue
Nephro/reno: Kidney
Encephalo: Brain
Hepato: Liver
Gastro: Stomach
Entero: Intestine

Compound Word and Compound Term

Compound words are formed by combining two independent words, example: Chickenpox.
Compound terms are constructed by combining a word root with a combining vowel and another word root, example: gastroscope.

Suffix Examples

-ist: Suffix used to create a noun, denotes a person, example: dentist.
-ic: Suffix used to create an adjective, example: anemic.

Singular and Plural Forms

Sarcoma: Singular form; Sarcomata: Plural form.
Diagnosis: Singular form; Diagnoses: Plural form.
Phalanx: Singular form; Phalanges: Plural form.
Coccus: Singular form; Cocci: Plural form.
Vertex: Singular form; Vertices: Plural form.
Cervix: Singular form; Cervices: Plural form.

Prefixes of Position

Circum-: Around
Peri-: Around
Meta-: Beyond, after
Retro-: Behind
Ultra-: Beyond, in excess
Meso-: Middle

Body Planes

Coronal: A vertical cut that divides the body into anterior and posterior halves.
Sagittal: A vertical cut that divides the body into equal right and left halves.

Directional Terms

Medial (medi/o): Towards the middle.
Lateral (later/o): Towards the side.
Anterior (anter/o): Front of the body.
Posterior (poster/o): Back of the body.

Combined Directional Terms

Anterolateral: Front and side
Anteromedial: Front and middle
Anterosuperior: Front and top
Posterolateral: Back and side
Posterolateral: Back and side
Posteroexternal: Back and outside of the body
Posterointernal: Back and inside of the body

Distance and Direction

Proximal: Closer to the point of origin or attachment.
Distal: Further from the point of origin or attachment.
Mediolateral: Middle and side
Superolateral: Above and to the side

Numerical Prefixes

Hemi- / Semi-: Half
Mono- / Uni-: One
Prot- / Prim-: First
Di(plo)- / Bi-: Two
Tri-: Three
Tetra- / Quadr-: Four
Penta- / Quint-: Five

Prefixes of Color

Leuko-: White
Erythro-: Red
Cyano-: Blue
Melano-: Black
Xantho-: Yellow
Chloro-: Green
Chromo-: Colored

Prefixes: Anti & Contra

Anti-: Against, example: Antipyretic (against fever).
Contra-: Against, example: Contraindication (against indication).

Prefix: Dys

Dys-: Painful, faulty, diseased, bad, difficult, or abnormal.
Dysphagia: Difficult swallowing
Dyspepsia: Indigestion
Dyspnea: Difficult breathing
Dysuria: Difficult urination

Prefix: Pseudo

Pseudo-: False
Pseudocyesis: False pregnancy
Pseudocyst: A false cyst

Prefix: Auto

Auto-: Self
Autolysis: Self-destruction
Autoimmunity: Reaction of immune response to one’s own tissues

Alg-, algi-: Pain, example: Myalgia (muscle pain).
Carcin-: Cancer, example: Carcinogen (a cancer-causing agent).
Onc/o-: Tumor, example: Oncogene (a gene that promotes tumor growth).
Lith-: Stone, example: Lithiasis (formation of stones).
Path/o-: Disease, example: Pathogen (a disease-causing organism).
Py/o-: Pus, example: Pyogenic (producing pus).
Pyr/o-: Fever, fire, example: Pyretic (feverish).
Scler/o-: Hard, example: Sclerosis (hardening).
Tox/o-: Poison, example: Exotoxin (a toxin released by bacteria).

Mal-: Bad, example: Malabsorption (poor absorption).
Xero-: Dry, example: Xerosis (dryness).
Pachy-: Thick, example: Pachyemia (thickening of the blood).
-oma: Tumor, example: Blastoma (tumor arising from embryonic cells).
-rhage: Flow, example: Hemorrhage (bleeding).
-rhea: Flow, example: Rhinorrhea (runny nose).

-edema: Swelling, example: Lymphedema (swelling due to lymphatic fluid buildup).
-lysis: Dissolving, destruction, example: Hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells).
-malacia: Softening, example: Tracheomalacia (softening of the trachea).
-necrosis: Death of, example: Osteonecrosis (death of bone tissue).
-spasm: Cramp, sudden contraction, example: Bronchospasm (spasm of the bronchi).
-stasis: Stoppage, example: Hemostasis (stopping of bleeding).
-stenosis: Narrowing, example: Arteriostenosis (narrowing of an artery).

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Description

This quiz explores the fundamental components of medical terminology, including word roots, prefixes, and suffixes. You'll learn how these building blocks come together to form complex medical terms, as well as specific examples of major organ word roots. Test your knowledge and enhance your understanding of medical language!