Medical Terminology: Breaking Down Components

Defining Medical Terms by Breaking Down Components

• Defining medical terms can be accomplished by analyzing the components of the term, defining each component, and then building the overall definition of the medical term.
• Table 1.2c provides instructions on how to define medical terms by breaking down their components into word parts, labeling and underlining combining forms, defining each word part, and building the definition.

Technique for Defining Medical Terms

• Divide the term into word parts
• Label the word parts
• Underline and label each combining form
• Define each word part in the term
• Place word parts together to define the term, starting with the suffix and then moving to the beginning of the term in the order they appear
• Add combining vowels to pronounce the term

Examples of Defining Medical Terms

• Osteoarthropathy: disease of the bone and joint
• Osteoarthritis: inflammation of bone and joint
• Intravenous: pertaining to within a vein or within the vein

Language Rules

• Many medical terms can be translated literally by breaking down their components
• Suffixes can often be assumed and not stated
• Exceptions to language rules are often referred to as "rebels"
• By learning language rules and processes, hundreds of medical terms can be easily learned

Pronunciation Guidelines

• Special markings above vowels indicate the proper pronunciation
• A macron (straight line) above a vowel indicates a long vowel sound
• A u-shaped symbol above a vowel indicates a short vowel sound
• Capital letters indicate where to place the emphasis when pronouncing a word
• Examples of pronunciation markings include doctor (dŏk-tŏr), prorate (prō-rāt), medical (mĕd-ĭ-căl), debride (di-BRĒD), and dehydration (dē-hī-DRĀ-shŏn)