Medical Terminology Flashcards

Medical Terminology Key Concepts

• Carp/o: Refers to wrist bones, highlighting a critical component of the skeletal system.
• Cib/o: Term for meals, relevant in nutrition and dietetics.
• Cis/o: Meaning "to cut," significant in surgical and medical contexts.
• Cost/o: Represents ribs, essential for understanding thoracic anatomy.
• Cutane/o: Indicates skin, a crucial part of the body providing protection and sensory functions.
• Dactyl/o: Denotes fingers and toes, relevant in both anatomy and physical therapy.
• Duct/o: Means "to lead or carry," applicable in various physiological processes, including transport within the body.
• Flex/o: Translates to "to bend," integral in assessing joint movement and function.
• Furc/o: Refers to forking or branching, used to describe anatomical structures like blood vessels or nerves.
• Gloss/o: Means tongue, critical for digestion and speech.
• Glyc/o: Refers to sugar, important in metabolism and endocrinology.
• Immun/o: Stands for protection, fundamental in immunology and infectious disease.
• Morph/o: Indicates shape or form, relevant in describing pathological changes in anatomy.
• Mort/o: Means death, significant in medical ethics and understanding terminal conditions.
• Nat/i: Refers to birth, applicable in obstetrics and developmental biology.
• Nect/o: Indicates to bind, tie, or connect, often used in discussing tissues and cellular connections.
• Norm/o: Represents rule or order, pertinent in normal vs. abnormal physiological states.
• Ox/o: Refers to oxygen, vital in respiratory physiology.
• Pub/o: Denotes the pubis or pubic bone, important in understanding pelvic anatomy.
• Seps/o: Refers to infection, key in microbiology and pathology.
• Somn/o: Means sleep, relevant in sleep medicine and psychiatry.
• Son/o: Denotes sound, applicable in medical imaging techniques like ultrasound.
• The/o: Means to put or place, often used in surgical contexts.
• Thel/o: Refers to nipple, significant in anatomy and lactation studies.
• Thyr/o: Stands for thyroid gland, critical in endocrinology.
• Top/o: Means place, position, or location, used in anatomical referencing.
• Tox/o: Indicates poison, important in toxicology and pharmacology.
• Trache/o: Refers to windpipe or trachea, essential in respiratory anatomy.
• Urethr/o: Denotes the urethra, significant in urology.

Medical Suffixes

• -blast: Indicates an embryonic or immature cell, relevant in development biology.
• -crine: Means to secrete, significant in endocrine function.
• -cyesis: Refers to pregnancy, critical in obstetrics.
• -drome: Means to run, relevant in describing symptoms or syndromes.
• -fusion: Indicates coming together or pouring, often used in surgical contexts.
• -gen: Denotes a substance that produces, used in genetics and pathology.
• -lapse: Refers to sliding, falling, or sagging, significant in anatomical discussions.
• -lysis: Indicates breakdown, crucial in pathology.
• -meter: Means to measure, key in diagnostics.
• -mission: Refers to sending or transmitting, applicable in medical communication.
• -or: Denotes one who performs an action, often applicable in medical professions.
• -partum: Refers to birth or labor, important in obstetrics.
• -phoria: Means to bear or carry, relevant in emotional or psychological contexts.
• -physis: Refers to growth, significant in understanding development.
• -plasia: Indicates development, formation, or growth, crucial in pathology.
• -plasm: Means structure or formation, relevant in cell biology.
• -pnea: Refers to breathing, significant in respiratory medicine.
• -ptosis: Denotes falling or dropping, important in various medical conditions.
• -rrhea: Refers to flow or discharge, critical in understanding bodily functions.
• -stasis: Indicates stopping or controlling, used in various medical conditions.
• -trophy: Refers to development or nourishment, related to growth patterns.

Medical Prefixes

• ad-: Signifies toward, important in directional terminology.
• ana-: Means up or apart, often used in biologic processes.
• ante-: Denotes before or forward, relevant in anatomical positioning.
• anti-: Means against, significant in pharmacology and immunology.
• auto-: Refers to self, often used in autoimmune contexts.
• bi-: Denotes life, significant in biology.
• brady-: Means slow, relevant in medical conditions like bradycardia.
• cata-: Refers to down, significant in metabolic processes.
• con-: Denotes with or together, often used in complex physiological processes.
• contra-: Means against or opposite, used in treatment and pharmacology.
• de-: Indicates down or lack of, relevant in various medical conditions.
• dia-: Means through or complete, often used in diagnostics.
• dys-: Refers to bad, painful, or difficult, significant in describing conditions.
• ec-, ecto-: Means out or outside, often used in medical terminology related to cysts or tumors.
• en-, endo-: Indicates in or within, relevant in anatomical discussions.
• epi-: Refers to upon or above, often used in surgical contexts.
• eu-: Means good or normal, significant in healthy biological processes.
• ex-: Indicates out or away from, commonly used in medical descriptions.
• hemi-: Means half, significant in conditions like hemiplegia.
• hyper-: Refers to excessive or above normal, critical in diagnosing disorders.
• hypo-: Means deficient or under, relevant in hormonal imbalances.
• in-: Indicates not or into, significant in various medical terminologies.
• infra-: Means beneath or under, relevant in anatomical positioning.
• inter-: Denotes between, applicable in anatomical and physiological contexts.
• intra-: Refers to within or into, often used in discussing injections or surgeries.
• macro-: Means large, significant in medical imaging.
• mal-: Refers to bad, important in pathology.