Medical Terminology Chapter 12

Medical Terminology Overview

• Home/o signifies sameness, often used in terms related to homeostasis.
• The suffix -stasis denotes stopping or controlling, commonly used in describing bodily functions.

Nervous System Terms

• Neur/o refers to nerve, fundamental in neurology.
• Dendro indicates dendrites, components of neurons that transmit signals.
• Glia translates to glue, representing supportive cells in the nervous system.
• Encephal/o pertains to the brain, critical for understanding brain disorders.
• Cerebr/o refers specifically to the cerebrum, the largest part of the brain, associated with higher brain functions.
• Cerebell/o relates to the cerebellum, which manages coordination and balance.
• Cord/o and myel/o both denote the spinal cord, essential for neural communication.
• Mening/o and meningi/o both refer to the meninges, protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
• Rhiz/o and radicul/o relate to nerve roots, crucial for understanding nerve pathways.

Anatomy and Structure Terms

• Cortic/o signifies the cortex, the outer layer of an organ.
• Lob/o indicates a lobe, often used to describe sections of the brain or liver.
• -cyte refers to a cell, foundational in cellular biology.
• -on signifies a structure, commonly used in medical contexts.

Musculoskeletal and Tissue Terms

• Somat/o means body, essential in discussions of bodily systems and functions.
• My/o denotes muscle, critical in understanding movement and physical health.
• Troph/o refers to development or nutrition, often used in relation to tissue health.
• Fibr/o means fiber, significant in muscle and connective tissue contexts.

Conditions and Disorders

• -algia signifies pain, widely applicable in various medical diagnoses.
• Dys- refers to difficult or impaired, often seen in terms like dysphagia (difficulty swallowing).
• -itis denotes inflammation, indicating conditions like arthritis or appendicitis.
• Sclerosis indicates a condition of hardening, relevant in various disorders affecting tissues.

Diagnostic and Procedural Terms

• -ectomy refers to removal, as in appendectomy or cholecystectomy.
• -tomy signifies incision, commonly used in surgical terminology.
• -graphy entails the process of recording, often associated with imaging techniques.

Sensory and Cognitive Terms

• Esthesi/o means feeling, relevant in discussions of sensations.
• Gnos/o translates to knowledge, significant in cognitive assessments.
• Phas/o pertains to speech, important in language disorders.
• Lex/o refers to words, related to language and communication studies.

Directions and Positions

• Lateral/o signifies side, important in anatomical orientations.
• Epi- means above, often used to describe anatomical positions.
• Inter- refers to between, critical in describing spatial relationships in anatomy.

Size, Quantity, and Movement Terms

• Poly- means many and is often used in conditions involving multiple entities.
• Bi- and di- indicate two, commonly seen in terms like bilateral or digraph.
• Hemi- signifies half, useful in describing partial conditions.
• -paresis indicates slight paralysis, important in neurology contexts.

Fluid and Substance Terms

• Hydro/o refers to water, often seen in contexts involving body fluids.
• Hemat/o denotes blood, critical in hematology and blood-related conditions.
• Ischem/o signifies holding back, relevant in discussions of blood flow restrictions.

Miscellaneous Terms

• -lepsy indicates seizure, common in neurological diagnoses.
• Narc/o means sleep, relating to conditions like narcolepsy.
• -opsy refers to viewing or inspection, significant in biopsies.
• -oscopy indicates a process for viewing internal structures, often involving endoscopy.

Anatomical Structures

• Crani/o pertains to the skull, essential in cranial surgery contexts.
• Spin/o refers to the spine, important in discussions of spinal health.
• Medull/o signifies the medulla, associated with automatic functions such as breathing and heart rate.