Medical Terminology Chapter 4 Flashcards

Word Roots and Prefixes

• strept/o - Refers to twisted chains, commonly associated with certain bacteria.
• xer/o - Indicates dryness, often used in terms related to skin conditions.
• cutane/o, derm/o, dermat/o - All refer to skin, foundational in dermatological terminology.
• hidr/o - Relates to sweat, often in discussions of sweat glands or conditions affecting sweating.
• kerat/o - Signifies horny tissue or hardness, relevant in the context of the outer layer of skin or certain eye conditions.

Nails, Hair, and Related Terms

• onych/o, ungu/o - Both denote nails, important in discussions of nail health and diseases.
• trich/o - Pertains to hair, significant in terms of hair disorders or treatments.
• rhytid/o - Refers to wrinkles, relevant in cosmetic and aging discussions.

Cell and Tissue Related Terms

• necr/o - Indicates death of cells or tissue, crucial in pathology.
• myc/o - Refers to fungus, important in the study of fungal infections.
• bi/o - Stands for life, foundational in biological and medical contexts.

Descriptive Prefixes

• staphyl/o - Represents grape-like clusters, particularly in bacterial formations.
• pachy/o - Means thick, often used in descriptions of tissue density.
• coni/o - Refers to dust, relevant in discussions about respiratory conditions.

Comparative Terms

• heter/o - Means other, often used to indicate differences in types or forms.
• crypt/o - Indicates hidden, used in discussing abnormalities or hidden conditions.

Other Common Prefixes

• seb/o - Pertains to sebum (oil), relevant in discussions of oily skin or acne.
• sub- - Means under or below, often indicating a position relative to another structure.
• trans- - Signifies through, across, or beyond, used to describe processes or pathways.
• per- - Indicates through, often relating to thoroughness or completeness.
• para- - Refers to abnormal, important in medical terminology regarding conditions that deviate from normalcy.
• epi- - Means on, upon, or over, used to describe layers or positions of tissues.
• intra- - Signifies within, often referring to structures that are contained within another.

Suffixes for Conditions and Procedures

• -malacia - Indicates softening of tissue, significant in specific pathologies.
• -phagia - Relates to eating or swallowing, important in discussing digestive disorders.
• -itis - Denotes inflammation, a common suffix in many medical conditions.
• -opsy - Means view of or viewing, commonly used in diagnostic procedures.
• -plasty - Indicates surgical repair, relevant in many surgical contexts.
• -tome - Refers to an instrument used to cut, often in surgical or diagnostic settings.
• -rrhea - Denotes flow or discharge, commonly used in discussions of bodily fluids.
• -ia - Indicates a diseased or abnormal state, or condition of something.
• -ectomy - Refers to excision or surgical removal, important in surgical terminology.
• -coccus, cocci - Describes berry-shaped bacteria, significant in microbiology.
• -a - Serves as a noun suffix, providing context to terms without specific meaning.