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Questions and Answers
What is the primary purpose of a combining vowel in medical terminology?
Which of the following suffixes would NOT require the use of a combining vowel?
What does the word root 'nephr/o' refer to?
In the term 'arthr/o/pathy', what does 'arthr/o' represent?
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Which word root would you use to refer to the term involving the lungs?
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What does the combining vowel 'o' primarily assist with when medical terms are formed?
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Which of the following is a correct representation of combining a word root with a suffix?
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Which word root corresponds to the medical term for the gallbladder?
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Study Notes
Word Roots and Combining Vowels
- A word root is the primary building block of a medical term, referring to the body part or body system it relates to.
- Some words contain more than one word root, with the order determined by common practice.
- Word roots will be further discussed in detail in each chapter as they relate to specific body systems.
Common Word Roots
- abdomin/o: Abdomen
- andr/o: Male
- angi/o: Vessel
- arteri/o: Artery
- arthr/o: Joint
- audi/o: Hearing
- bronch/i, bronch/o: Bronchus/lung
- carcin/o: Cancer
- cardi/o: Heart
- cholecyst/o: Gallbladder
- chrondr/i, chrondr/o: Cartilage
- col/o: Colon
- cysti, cyst/o: Bladder or cyst
- cyt/o: Cell
- duoden/o: Duodenum
- encephal/o: Brain
- erythr/o: Red
- esophag/: Esophagus
- gastr/o: Stomach
- glyc/o: Sugar
- gynec/o: Female reproductive system
- hemat/o, hem/o: Blood
- hist/o: Tissue
- hyster/o: Uterus
- laryng/o: Larynx
- leuk/o: White
- men/o: Menstruation
- my/o: Muscle
- nephr/o: Kidney
- neur/o: Nerve
- opt/o: Vision
- orch/o: Testis, testicle
- pneum/o: Lungs
- thorac/o: Chest
Combining Vowels
- A combining vowel is a word part, usually the letter "o", that helps with pronunciation.
- Combining vowels are used to connect word roots and suffixes.
- Guideline: use a combining vowel when connecting a word root and a suffix that doesn't begin with a vowel (e.g. arthr/o/pathy).
- Guideline: don't use a combining vowel when connecting a word root and a suffix that begins with a vowel (e.g. hepat/ic).
- Guideline: use a combining vowel when connecting two word roots, even if vowels are present at the junction (e.g. oste/o/arthr/itis).
- Guideline: don't use a combining vowel when connecting a prefix and a word root (e.g. sub/hepat/ic).
Examples of Word Roots in Medical Terms
- Cardiomegaly: Enlargement of the heart (cardi/o: Heart)
- Encephalitis: Inflammation of the brain (encephal/o: Brain)
- Gynecologist: Specialist who treats disorders and diseases of female reproductive organs (gynec/o: Female reproductive system)
- Pneumonia: Disease state of the lung (pneum/o: Lungs)
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Description
Learn about word roots, the primary building blocks of medical terms, and combining vowels. Understand how to determine the order of word roots and how they relate to specific body systems.
