Medical Terminology: Myel/o and Related Terms

Medical Terminology: Combining Forms and Suffixes

• myel/o: Refers to bone marrow or spinal cord, essential for blood cell production and nerve signaling.

• Orth/o: Means straight, often used in terms related to alignment or correction in bone and joint conditions.

• oste/o: Relates to bone, forming the basis for terms related to bone diseases and conditions.

• Patell/o: Refers specifically to the patella, or kneecap, key in knee joint function.

• Ped/o: Indicates either child or foot, relevant in pediatrics and podiatry.

• Pelv/o: Refers to the pelvis, crucial for understanding anatomical structure and diseases in that region.

• Phalang/o: Relates to phalanges, the bones in fingers and toes, important in hand and foot anatomy.

• Pod/o: Refers to the foot, often used in conditions affecting lower extremities.

• Prosthet/o: Relates to addition, often in the context of prosthetics, which are devices that replace missing body parts.

• Pub/o: Refers to the pubis, one of the bones that form the pelvis, significant in pelvic anatomy.

• Radi/o: Refers to the radius or ray (X-ray), important in both anatomy and diagnostic imaging.

• Scr/o: Indicates the sacrum, a triangular bone at the base of the spine crucial for pelvic support.

• Sarc/o: Relates to flesh or muscular substance, often used in terms describing muscle-related diseases.

• Scapul/o: Refers to the scapula or shoulder blade, significant in upper body structure.

• Scoli/o: Means crooked or bent, often associated with spinal deformities such as scoliosis.

• Spin/o: Refers to the spine, a central structure in human anatomy.

• spondyl/o: Refers to vertebrae, essential in discussing spinal conditions.

• stern/o: Refers to the sternum or breastbone, crucial in rib cage structure and protection.

• Synovi/o and Synov/o: Both refer to synovial membrane, important for joint lubrication.

• Tars/o: Refers to the ankle, a key point of articulation in the lower leg.

• Thorac/o: Means chest, significant for respiratory and circulatory system terminology.

• tibi/o: Refers to the tibia, the larger bone in the lower leg essential for weight-bearing.

• Uln/o: Refers to the ulna, a key bone in the forearm.

• Vertebr/o: Refers to vertebra, essential in terms associated with spinal anatomy.

Suffixes Related to Medical Terms

• -Blast: Indicates immature or embryonic cells, commonly used in terms for cell types in various tissues.

• -clasia: Means to surgically break, often used in procedures involving bones or joints.

• -desis: Indicates stabilization or fusion, particularly important in surgical contexts.

• -listhesis: Refers to slipping, commonly associated with spinal conditions.

• -porous: Relates to being porous, significant in contexts discussing bone density and structural integrity.