Medical Terminology: Urinary System Flashcards

Medical Terminology: Urinary System

• Albumin/o: Refers to albumin, a vital protein found in blood that helps maintain osmotic pressure.

• Azot/o: Pertains to nitrogen, an essential component of amino acids and nucleotides, key for metabolic processes.

• Bacteri/o: Denotes bacteria, microorganisms that can play roles in various biological processes, including diseases.

• Cali/o, Calic/o: Relates to calyx or calyces, cup-like structures in the kidney that collect urine from the renal pyramids.

• Cyst/o: Indicates bladder, sac, or cyst, vital for the storage of urine before excretion.

• Dips/o: Means thirst, a physiological sensation indicating the need for hydration.

• Glomerul/o: Refers to glomerulus, a network of capillaries involved in the filtration of blood in the kidneys.

• Kal/o: Signifies potassium, a key electrolyte that regulates fluid balance, muscle contractions, and nerve signals.

• Ket/o, Keton/o: Relates to ketone bodies, which are produced during the breakdown of fat and can indicate metabolic conditions.

• Lith/o: Refers to stone, particularly in the urinary system, indicating the presence of calculi that can obstruct urine flow.

• Meat/o: Pertains to meatus, an opening or canal, commonly associated with the urinary tract.

• Natr/o: Indicates sodium, another essential electrolyte important for maintaining fluid balance in the body.

• Noct/i: Means night, often used in terms that describe conditions affecting urination during the night (nocturia).

• Nephr/o: Refers to kidney, the organ responsible for filtering blood and producing urine.

• Ren/o: Also indicates kidney, synonymous with nephr/o, used interchangeably in medical terminology.

• Olig/o: Means few, little, or scanty; often describes low urine output or density.

• -poietin: Refers to a substance that forms or is involved in the formation of elements in the blood or other bodily tissues.

• Pyel/o: Indicates renal pelvis, the funnel-like structure in the kidney that collects urine before it moves to the ureter.

• Py/o: Means pus, a thick fluid produced in infected tissue, indicating an immune response.

• Trigon/o: Refers to the trigone region of the bladder, an area that is sensitive when distended and signals the need to urinate.

• Ureter/o: Denotes ureter, the tube through which urine passes from the kidney to the bladder.

• Urethr/o: Refers to urethra, the duct through which urine is discharged from the bladder to the exterior.

• Ur/o: Indicates urine, the liquid waste product secreted by the kidneys.

• Urin/o: Also refers to urine, used interchangeably with ur/o in terminology.

• -uria: A suffix that indicates characteristics of urine or the process of urination, often used in descriptive conditions (e.g., hematuria).

• Vesic/o: Means urinary bladder, the organ that stores urine until excretion.