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Questions and Answers
What is the role of a suffix in medical terminology?
Which of the following examples correctly illustrates a compound term?
How is a compound word formed in medical terminology?
What does the prefix 'neuro-' indicate in medical terms?
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Which of the following is NOT an example of a word root representing an organ?
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What does the prefix 'dys-' indicate in medical terminology?
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Which of the following terms refers to a false pregnancy?
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The suffix '-oma' is commonly associated with what?
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What does the term 'hemolysis' refer to in medical terminology?
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What is the meaning of the prefix 'contra-' in medical terminology?
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What is the plural form of 'coccus'?
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Which prefix means 'around'?
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In anatomical directional terms, what term is used to describe something located towards the front of the body?
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Which body plane divides the body into equal right and left halves?
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What is the correct term for a medical agent that works against fever?
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Which of these is a prefix that means 'middle'?
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What is the term for a distance descriptor meaning 'closer to the trunk of the body'?
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Which color prefix refers to 'blue'?
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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
Root Words Related to Disease
- 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).
Prefixes & Suffixes Related to Disease
- 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).
Suffixes Related to Disease
- -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!
