Basic Elements of a Medical Term PDF

Medical Terminology Code (4106 ) Basic Elements of a Medical Term Objectives Identifying Prefix Prefix Types General Rules for Plurals Prefix A prefix is a word element located at the beginning of a word. Prefixes can alter the meaning of the word. Usually indicates a numbe...

Medical Terminology Code (4106 ) Basic Elements of a Medical Term Objectives Identifying Prefix Prefix Types General Rules for Plurals Prefix A prefix is a word element located at the beginning of a word. Prefixes can alter the meaning of the word. Usually indicates a number, time, position, direction, color, or sense of negation. Not all medical words have a prefix. A prefix always have the same meaning in every term in which it is used. Prefix Examples, Macr/o/cyte, macro- is a prefix meaning large;-cyte is a root meaning cell, a macrocyte is a large cell. Micr/o/cyte, micro- is a prefix meaning small ;-cyte is a root meaning cell, a microcyte is a small cell.  Pre/nat/al pertaining to the period before birth. Peri/nat/al pertaining to the period around birth. Post/nat/al pertaining to the period after birth Prefix Types The major types of prefixes: Prefixes of position Prefixes of number Prefixes of direction Prefixes of negation Prefixes of color Prefixes of Position Prefix Meaning Word Analysis Hypo- Under, below Hypo/derm/ic (under the skin) Sub- Under, below Sub/cost/al Inter- Between Inter/cost/al Pre- Before, in front of Pre/test pre/nat/al Pro- Before, in front of Pro/gnosis Post- After, behind Post/test post/nat/al Sub/cost/al Inter/cost/al Hypodermic Prefixes of numbers Mono- 1 Di- 2 Tri- 3 Tetra- 4 Penta- 5 Hexa- 6 Hepta- 7 Octa- 8 Nona- 9 Deca- 10 Prefix Meaning Word Analysis Bi- Two Bi/later/al pertaining to two sides later: side-al: pertaining to Dipl- Double Dipl/opia: double vision -opia: vision Hemi- One half Hemi/plegia :paralysis of one half of the body-plegia: paralysis Uni- One Uni/nucle/ar pertaining to one nucleus Multi- Many Multi/gravida : woman who has been pregnant more than once - gravida: pregnant woman Poly- Much Poly/phobia : fear of many things -phobia: fear Primi First Primi/gravida : woman during her first pregnancy -gravida: pregnant woman Quadri- Four Quadri/plegia paralysis of four limbs -plegia: paralysis Tri- Three Tri/ceps : three heads-ceps: head Prefix Meaning Word Analysis Hyper Excessive, Hyper/calc/emia: excessive calcium in the blood. calc: above normal calcium -emia: blood condition Hypo Deficient, Hypo/calc/emia: deficient calcium in the blood. calc: below normal calcium -emia: blood condition Macro Large Macro/cyte: large cell -cyte: cell Micro Small Micro/scope : instrument for examining small objects -scope: instrument for examining small objects. Dipl/opia Prefixes of directions Prefix Meaning Word Analysis Ab- from, away from Ab/duction: movement of a limb away from the body -duction: bringing, conducting Ad- toward Ad/duction : movement of a limb toward the body -duction: bringing, conducting Super- upper, above Super/ior: pertaining to the upper part of a structure -ior: pertaining to Infer- lower, below Infer/ior: pertaining to the lower part of a structure -ior: pertaining to Anter- before or in front Anter /ior: pertaining to the front surface of a structure -ior: pertaining to Poster- behind or in the Poster/ior: pertaining to the back part of a structure back -ior: pertaining to Prefixes of negation 1- a- meaning without or not, it is usually used before a consonant a/phon/ia (voiceless), a/symmetric/al ( unbalanced or irregular) 2- an- meaning without, not, it is usually used before a vowel. an/esthesia : without feeling -esthesia: feeling Anesthesia may be a partial or complete loss of sensation with or without loss of consciousness. 3- anti- meaning against anti/bacteri/al: against bacteria bacteri: bacteria -al: pertaining to Antibacterial substances kill bacteria or inhibit their growth or replication. Prefixes of color Prefix color Word Meaning Chlor Green chlorophyll Green pigments Albin White Albinism Congenital absence of pigment in the skin, hair, and eyes Leuk White leukocyte white blood cell Eosin Red Eosinophil Type of white blood cells stained red by eosin dye Erythr Red Erythrocyte mature blood cell Melan Black Melanoma Malignant neoplasm, derived from cells forming melanin, arising in the skin Jaund Yellow Jaundice Yellowish staining of the skin, sclera and mucous membrane Xanth Yellow Xanthoma Yellowish-orange, lipid filled nodules in the skin on an eyelid or over a joint Cirrh Yellow Cirrhosis Replacement of liver cells by scar tissue Poli Grey Poliomyelitis Inflammatory process of the gray matter of the spinal cord  Melanoma Jaundice Xanthoma How to Understand Medical Terminology -Know the different components of a term. -Understand the rules that govern the use of combining vowels. -Read it from the suffix move to the prefix (if present) and then the root to get its meaning. HEPATITIS, -itis (inflammation of ) + hepat /o (liver) = inflammation of the liver. INTRAVENOUS, -ous (pertaining to) + intra- (within) + ven/o (vein) = pertaining to within a vein. General Rules for Plurals Word ends in Singular Plural -a vertebra vertebrae -ax thorax thoraces -ex or ix appendix appendices -is metastasis metastases -ma sarcoma sarcomata -nx phalanx phalanges -on Ganglion (collection of nerve ganglia cells outside of the CNS) -um ovum ova -us nucleus nuclei -y biopsy biopsies Thank You