Medical Terminology Chapter 3

Bone-Related Terms

• Oss/e, oss/i, oste/o, ost/o: Indicates bone structure.
• Myel/o: Refers to bone marrow, essential for blood cell formation.
• Chondr/o: Pertains to cartilage, a flexible connective tissue.
• Arthr/o: Relates to joints, the connections between bones.
• Ligament/o: Represents ligaments, tissues connecting bones at joints.
• Synovi/o, synov/o: Involves synovial fluid and synovial membrane, lubricating joints.
• Burs/o: Refers to the bursa, a fluid-filled sac reducing friction in joints.

Motion and Structure Terms

• Ankyl/o: Describes conditions that are crooked, bent, or stiff.
• Cost/o: Indicates ribs, the bones forming the rib cage.
• Crani/o: Refers to the skull, protecting the brain.
• -desis: A suffix meaning to bind or tie together, often used in surgical terms.
• Kyph/o: Relates to a bent or hump shape in the spine.
• Lord/o: Refers to a curvature in the spine, often associated with swayback.
• -lysis: Indicates loosening or freeing, often relating to tissues.
• Myel/o: Signifies spinal cord along with bone marrow.

Spinal and Curvature Terms

• Scoli/o: Indicates curvature in the spine, often associated with scoliosis.
• Spondyl/o: Refers to vertebrae or the vertebral column (backbone).

Noun Endings and Concepts

• -um: A suffix denoting singular noun endings.
• Hem/o: Refers to blood, critical for transport in the body.
• -poietic: Related to the formation of cells or tissues.

Surrounding Structures

• Peri-: A prefix indicating the surrounding structure of an organ or tissue.
• Sarc/o: Denotes the sacrum, part of the spinal column.
• ili: Refers to the ilium, the uppermost part of the pelvic bone.
• -clasoPoly-: Suggests multiplicity (many) in terms.

Muscle and Back Terms

• My: Indicates muscle across various contexts.
• Lumb: Denotes lumbar, relating to the lower back.
• -listhesis: Describes a slipping condition of the vertebrae.
• -penia: Indicates deficiency or reduced quantity of a substance.

Examination and Surgical Terms

• Scopy: The process of performing a physical examination, often visually.
• -plasty: Refers to surgical repair or reconstruction.
• -rrhaphy: Indicates the surgical suturing of tissue.
• -clasis: A term for breaking or fracturing, particularly in the context of bones.