Medical Terminology PDF

English for Medical Sciences Medical Terminology - The primary constituent of each medical term is the root that carries the basic meaning. Prefixes and Suffixes can be added to the root to modify its meaning. - A root is a part of the word that carries its basic meaning. The...

English for Medical Sciences Medical Terminology - The primary constituent of each medical term is the root that carries the basic meaning. Prefixes and Suffixes can be added to the root to modify its meaning. - A root is a part of the word that carries its basic meaning. The root in medical terms cannot stand alone to give a complete meaning. A prefix or suffix may be added to it in order to make a full term that has a meaning. Gastr / o / scopy Root Combining vowel Suffix Gastr - (Stomach) Scopy – (Visual Examination) Gastroscopy - (Visual Examination of the Stomach) → Some words could have One or more roots such as: One root: Hem/o/globin Two Roots: Electr/o/cardi/o/gram Three Roots: Ot/o/rhin/o/laryng/o/logy Four Roots: Esophag/o/gastr/o/duoden/o/jejun/o/stomy 1) Root: The part of the term that conveys its basic meaning 2) Prefix: A letter or a group of letters attached to the beginning of a term to modify its meaning 3) Suffix: A letter or group of letters attached to the end of a term to produce a new word form in general or to modify the meaning of the root 4) Combining Form: A root with a combining vowel 5) Combining Vowel: A vowel inserted between a root and a suffix that starts with a consonant or a root and another root to ease pronunciation. Table 1.3 Body Parts/ Organs that Have Two or more roots: Organ Part Root 1 Root 2 Root 3 Root 4 Abdomen Abdomin/o Lapar/o Cali/o - (Abdominal) (Laparoscopy) (Celiac) Backbone Vertebr/o Spondyl/o Spin/o (Vertebral) (Spondylitis) (Spinal Column) - Urinary Vesic/o (Vesical) Cyst/o - - Bladder (Cystitis) Blood Vessel Angi/o Vas/o Vascul/o - (Angiogram) (Vasoconstriction) (Vascular) Breast Mamm/o Mast/o (Mastectomy) - - (Mammogram) Eardrum Tympan/o Myring/o - - (Tympanic) (Myringotomy) Eye Ocul/o Ophthalm/o Opt/o Optic/o (Ocular) (Ophthalmoscope) (Optician) (Optical) Heart Coron/o Cardi/o - - (Coronary) (Cardiology) Kidney Ren/o Naphr/o - - (Renal) (Nephritis) Lung Pulmon/o Pneumon/o Pulm/o - (Pulmonary) (Pneumonectomy) (Pulmoaortic) Mouth Or/o (Oral) Stomat/o (Stomatitis) - - Muscle Muscul/o My/o Myos/o - (Muscular) (Myoma) (Myositis) Nose Nas/o (Nasal) Rhin/o (Rhinitis) - - Ovary Ovari/o Oophor/o - - (Ovarian) (Oophorectomy) Skin Cutane/o Dermat/o (Dermatitis) Derm/o Epiheli/o (Cutaneous) (Dermal) (Epithelial) Uterus Uter/o Hyster/o Metri/o - (Uterine) (Hysterectomy) (Endometrium) Vagina Vagin/o Colp/o - - (Vaginal) (Colposcopy) Vein Ven/o (Venous) Phleb/o (Phlebitis) - - Testes Orch/o Orchid/o Orchi/o - (Orchiectomy) (Orchidoplasty) (Orchiopexy) Blood Hem/o Hemat/o - - (Hemoglobin) (hematorrhachis) Colon Col/o Colon/o - - (Colostomy) (Colonoscopy) Pituitary Pituitary/o Hypophys/o - - Gland (Hypopituitarism) (Hypophysis)  Common Combining Forms: Combining Meaning Medical Term Meaning Form Angi/o Blood Vessel Angiogram Record of the blood vessels Arthr/o Joint Arthritis Inflammation of the joint Bronch/o Bronchial Tube Bronchoscopy Visual examination of the tubes leading from the windpipe to the lungs Carcin/o Cancer Carcinoma Cancerous tumor of the epithelial tissue Cadi/o Heart Cardiologist Specialist in the study of the heart Chron/o Time Chronic Pertaining to time (Long time disease) Cephal/o Head Cephalic Pertaining to the head Cereb/o Largest part of the Cerebrosclerosis Abnormal condition of hardening in the large brain part of the brain Cervic/o Neck Cervical Pertaining to the neck Col/o Large Intestine Colostomy Opening of the large intestine to the outside of the body Csyt/o Urinary Bladder Cystitis Inflammation of the urinary bladder Cyt/o Cell Cytologist Specialist in the study and treatment of cells Derm/o Skin Transdermal Pertaining to across the skin Dermat/o Skin Dermatologist A specialist in the study of the skin Duoden/o The first part of Duodenoscope Instrument to visually examine the first part of the small intestine the small intestine Electr/o Electricity Electrocardiogram Record of the electricity in the heart Encephal/o Brain Encephalitis Inflammation of the brain Enter/o Intestine Gastroenterology Study of the stomach and small intestine Erythr/o Red Erythrocytosis Abnormal condition of having a slight increase in the number of Red Blood Cells Esophag/o Food Tube Esophagoscopy Visual examination of the tube leading from the throat to the stomach Gastr/o Stomach Gastric Pertaining to the stomach Gingiv/o Gum Gingivitis Inflammation of the gum Glyc/o Sugar Hyperglycemia Condition of excessive amount of sugar in blood Gnos/o Knowledge Prognosis State of before knowledge / prediction of outcome Diagnosis State of complete knowledge Gynec/o Woman Gynecologist Specialist in woman diseases Hem/o Blood Hemoglobin Protein in red blood cells Hemat/o Hematoma Mass in the blood Hepat/o Liver Hepatoma Malignant tumor of the liver Hyster/o Uterus Hysterectomy Excision of uterus (Removal) Lapar/o Abdomen Laparoscope Instrument to visually examine the abdomen Larynog/o Larynx Laryngectomy Excision of the voice box (Voice Box) Leuk/o White Leukemia (Blood Cancer) A condition of having immature white blood cells produced by the bone marrow Leukocytosis Abnormal condition of a slight increase in WBC Mamm/o Breast Mammogram Record of the breast Mast/o Breast Mastectomy Excision of the breast  Combining Meaning Medical Term Meaning Form Metri/o Uterus Endometrium Structure within the uterus My/o Muscle Myoma Benign tumor of the muscle Nephr/o Kidney Nephrologist Specialist in the study and treatment of the kidney Neur/o Nerve Neuralgia Condition of having pain in the nerves Onc/o Tumor Oncologist Specialist in the study and treatment of tumors Oophor/o Ovary Oophorectomy Removal of the ovary Ophthalm/o Eye Ophthalmologist Specialist in the study and treatment of the eye Oste/o Bone Osteomyelitis Inflammation of the bone and bone marrow Ot/o Ear Otorhinolaryngology Study of ear, nose, and throat Ovari/o Ovary Ovariopathy Any disease of the ovary Path/o Disease Pathologist Specialist in the study and treatment of diseases Phleb/o Vein Phlebotomy Incision into the vein Pneumon/o Lung Pneumonia Condition of having an infection in the lung Psych/o Mind Psychology Study of the mind Pulm/o Lung Pulmonary Pertaining to the lungs Radi/o Radiation Radiology Study of x-rays and other radiation Ren/o Kidney Renal Pertaining to the kidney Rhin/o Nose Rhinorrhea Flow or discharge of mucus from nose Sacr/o Lower Back Sacral Pertaining to the lower back Sarc/o Flesh Myosarcoma A cancerous tumor of a muscle Spin/o Vertebral Column Spinal Pertaining to the spinal column Trache/o Windpipe Tracheostomy Opening of the windpipe to the outside of the body Throrac/o Chest Thoracotomy Incision of the chest Thromb/o Clotting Thrombosis Abnormal condition of having blood clot Ur/o Urine or Urea Uremia Condition of having excess urea in the blood Vascul/o Blood Vessel Vascular Pertaining to the blood vessels Hem/o Blood Hematuria Condition of having blood in the Hemat/o urine Note: Sarcoma means cancerous  Table 1.4 Commonly Used, but confused Suffixes Suffix Meaning Example Meaning -tome Instrument to incise Microtome Instrument for cutting thin sections (Cutting into) of tissues for microscopic study -tomy Incision (The process of Laparotomy Incision into the abdomen cutting into) -ectomy Excision (The process of Adenectomy Excision of a gland removal) -stomy Opening to the outside Tracheostomy Opening of the windpipe to the of the body (with one outside of the body root) -stomy Communication (With Colocolostomy Communication between two more than one root) unconnected parts of the large intestine (Anastomosis) -scope Instrument to visually Arthroscope Instrument to visually examine the examine joints -scopy Visual Examination Ophthalmoscopy Visual examination of the eyes -logy Study of Gynecology Study of women’s diseases -logist Specialist in the study Nephrologist Specialist in the study of kidneys and treatment of → A suffix is a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning or to produce a new word (part of speech). For example: if the suffix -tomy (cutting into) is added to the root gastr, the resulting term “gastrotomy” will mean incision into the stomach, however, if the suffix -ectomy is added to the same root, the resulting term “gastrectomy” will mean excision of the stomach. Table 1.5 Terms Using the Suffix -Scopy (Visual Examination of) Medical Term Meaning Bronchoscopy Visual examination of the bronchial tubes Laryngoscopy Visual examination of the larynx Laparoscopy Visual examination of the abdomen Gastroscopy Visual examination of stomach Arthroscopy Visual examination of joints Cystoscopy Visual examination of urinary bladder Ophthalmoscopy Visual examination of eyes Otoscopy Visual examination of Ears Sigmoidoscopy Visual examination of sigmoid colon Rhinoscopy Visual examination of nose Uroscopy Visual examination of urinary tract Colonoscopy Visual examination of large intestine Esophagoscopy Visual examination of esophagus Table 1.6 Terms Using the Suffix -Logist (Specialist in the study of) Medical Term Meaning Cardiologist Specialist in the study and treatment of the heart Dermatologist Specialist in the study of skin Oncologist Specialist in the study of tumors Nephrologist Specialist in the study of the kidneys Gynecologist Specialist in the study of women’s diseases Trichologist Specialist in the study of hair Urologist Specialist in the study of urinary system Hematologist Specialist in the study of the blood Biologist Specialist in the study of living tissues Otorhinolaryngologist Specialist in the study of the ear, nose, and larynx Ophthalmologist Specialist in the study of the eyes Endocrinologist Specialist in the study of the endocrine system Gastroenterologist Specialist in the study of the stomach and intestine Commonly used Suffixes Suffixes Meaning Medical Term Meaning -al Pertaining to Renal Pertaining to kidneys Pertaining to Cardiac Pertaining to the heart -ac Pain Otalgia Condition of having pain in ear -algia Pain Analgesia Condition of having no pain -algesia Cell Erythrocyte Red Blood Cell -cyte Blood Condition Uremia Condition of having excess urea in -emia the blood Protein Hemoglobin Protein in the RBC -globin Record of Mammogram Record of Breast -gram Condition of Myalgia Pain in the muscle -ia Pertaining to Metric Pertaining to measurement -ic Medical Specialty Orthopedics Specialty in correcting joins and -ics skeleton Medical Specialist Anesthetist Specialist in taking sensations away -ist State of Hypothyroidism Condition of having low secretion -ism of thyroid hormone Inflammation Encephalitis Inflammation of the brain -itis Enlargement Hepatomegaly Enlargement of the liver -megaly Tumor/mass Hepatoma Malignant tumor in the liver -oma Hematoma Mass of blood Nephroma Benign tumor of a kidney Viewing Autopsy Viewing of dead body -opsy Abnormal condition of Stenosis Abnormal condition of narrowing -osis Sclerosis Abnormal condition of hardening Disease Cardiomyopathy Any disease of heart muscle -pathy State of Diagnosis State of complete knowledge -sis Prefixes A prefix is a letter or a group of letters attached to the beginning of a root to modify its meaning. For example: The word hyperglycemia consists of a prefix (hyper), a root (glyc), and a suffix (-emia). Prefix Meaning Medical Term Meaning Hemi- Half Hemiplegia Paralysis of one side of the body Para- Low Paraplegia Condition of having lower half paralysis Quadri- Quarter Quadriplegia Condition of having paralysis in the four limbs Pan- Total Panplegia Condition of having total paralysis Pseudo- False Pseudoplegia Condition of having false paralysis Commonly Used Prefixes Prefix Meaning Medical Term Meaning a-/an- Not Apnea Lack of breathing Anemia Lack of RBC Ante- Before Antenatal Pertaining to before birth Anti- Against Antibiotic Substances produced outside the body Ab- Away from Abnormal Away from being normal Ad- Toward Adduct Toward the midline of the body Auto- Self Autopsy To determine cause of death Brady- Slow Bradycardia Condition of slow heart rhythm Dia- Through/complete Diameter Through measurement Diarrhea Flow of watery stool through the rectum Dys- Painful/difficult Dyspnea Difficulty in breathing Poor/abnormal Dysuria Condition of having painful sensation upon urination Endo- within Endocrine glands Glands that secrete hormones withing the body and into the blood stream Exo- Outside Exocrine Glands Glands that secrete substances out of the body Eu- Easy / true Eupnea Normal breathing  Hemi- Half Hemigastrectomy Excision of one half of the stomach Hyper- Excessive Hypertension High blood pressure Hypo- Less than normal Hypotension Low blood pressure Macro- Very Large Macroscopic Large enough to be seen without a microscope Mega- Abnormally large Megacolon Enlargement of the colon Multi- Many Multicellular Pertaining to many cells Peri- Surrounding Periosteum Structure surrounding the bone Post- After Postnatal Pertaining to after birth Pre- Before Prenatal Pertaining to before birth Pro- Before/forward Prodrome early symptom indicating the onset of a disease or illness Re- Back and forth Resection Excision/Removal Retro- Behind Retrouterine Behind the uterus Sub- Below Sublingual Pertaining to under the tongue Tachy- Rapid Tachycardia Condition of having rapid heart rhythm Brady- Slow Bradycardia Condition of having slow heart rhythm Trans- Across/through Transfusion Introduction of blood or blood components into the blood stream Bi- Both Bilateral Pertaining to both sides Uni- single Unilateral Pertaining to one side When a suffix starting with a consonant is added to a root ending with a consonant, a vowel is added between the root and the suffix in order to ease the articulation of the resulting form. This vowel is referred to as the combining form. The root plus the combining vowel are called the combining form. The term cystoscope, for example, consists of the root cyst-, a combining vowel -o- and the suffix -scope. However, the combining vowel is omitted if the suffix starts with a vowel as in gastrectomy (gastr + ectomy), cephalic (cephal + ic), adenitis (aden + it is), neuralgia (neur + algia), carcinoma (carcin + ome), and hematuria (hemat + uria). Examples: Cyst (root): urinary bladder O (combining vowel): does not add anything to meaning. Scope (Suffix): Instrument to examine a body organ visually. Cystoscope is an instrument to visually examine the urinary bladder. Cyst / o / scope Root Combining Vowel Suffix Notice that the combining vowel is omitted because the suffix -ic begins with a vowel as in: Cephal / ic Root (Head) Suffix (Pertaining to) In this context, it is worth noting that the combining vowel is retained if a root is added to another root even though the second root begins with a vowel as in: Oste / o / arthr / itis Root Combining Vowel Root Suffix Table 1.12 Terms Using Prefix + Root + Combining Vowel (V) + Suffix Prefix Root V Suffix Term Meaning Dys- men O rhea- Dysmenorrhea Painful menstrual flow A- men O rhea- Amenorrhea Lack of menstrual flow Anti- bi O tic- Antibiotic Substances that are produced outside the body by microorganisms and primitive plants called molds Table 1.13 The “rh” Rule When a suffix beginning with the letters “rh” is added to a root, the letter “r” is doubled. Root Suffix Term Meaning men rhea- Menorrhea Normal Menstrual flow or discharge. hem rhage- Hemorrhage Excessive Bleeding. men rhage- Menorrhagia Menstrual periods with abnormally heavy or prolonged bleeding. arteri rhaphy Arteriorrhaphy Suture of an artery. my rhexis- Myorrhexis Rupture of a muscle. Table 1.14 The “x” Rule In nouns ending with “x” preceded by an consonant, change the “x” into “g” when you derive an adjective from those nouns, or when a suffix is added to them. Word Adjective Noun Meaning Larynx Laryngeal Laryngectomy Excision of the larynx Pharynx Pharyngeal Pharyngotomy Incision of the pharynx Coccyx Coccygeal Coccyges (Plural) Tailbone When adjectives are derived from nouns ending with “x” that is preceded with a vowel, the “x” is changed into “c”. Word Adjective Meaning Cervix Cervical Pertaining to the neck Thorax Thoracic Pertaining to the chest Basic Medical Terms Diagnosis: The act or process of identifying or determining the nature and cause of a disease or injury through evaluation of patient history. Prognosis: A prediction of probable course and outcome of a disease (state of prior knowledge). Sign: Objective evidence of a disease or the physical manifestation of injury, illness, or disease. Objective means that the sign can be evaluated or measured by the patient or others. Symptoms: Subjective evidence of disease or what the patient experiences about the injury; subjective means it can be evaluated or measured only by the patient. Syndrome: A group of symptoms and signs that collectively indicate or characterize a disease, psychological disorder, or other abnormal condition. Acronym: A word formed by combining the initial letters of a multipart name or major parts of a compound term, such as GERD from Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease. Abbreviation: A shortened form of a word or phrase used chiefly in writing to represent the complete form such as AMI, for Acute Myocardial Infarction. Eponym: One whose name is or is thought be the source of the name of something such as a disease, structure, operation, or procedure named for the person who discovered it first, for example, Marfan syndrome, Fallopian tube, Rinne Test, Huntington Disease. Acute disease: Rapid, severe, and of relatively short duration. Chronic Disease: Lasting for a long period of time or marked by frequent recurrence, as certain diseases, may be controlled but almost never cured. Relapse: A return of a disease or its symptoms after partial recovery from it. Exacerbation: An increase in the severity of the disease or any of its symptoms. Remission: The period during which the symptoms of a disease abate or subside without having achieved a cure. Differential Diagnosis: The differences between diseases in terms of clinical signs and epidemiological parameters; used as a basis of selecting as a diagnosis the one with the best fit to those seen in the subject. It is also known as to rule out (R/O). Sarcoma: A cancerous tumor of fleshy tissue Carcinoma: A cancerous tumor of epithelial tissue. Malignant: Tending to become progressively worse and to result in death; having the properties of anaplasia, invasiveness, and metastasis; said of tumors. You can also simply define it by a cancerous tumor that spreads like fire. Benign: Not malignant; not recurrent; favorable of recovery. You can also define it by a non-cancerous tumor that does not spread. Myocardial Infarction (MI): Death of the cells of an area of the heart muscle as a result of oxygen deprivation, which in turn is caused by obstruction of the blood supply; commonly referred to as “heart attack”. Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA): An abnormal condition of the brain characterized by occlusion by an embolus, thrombus, or cerebrovascular hemorrhage or vasospasm, resulting in ischemia of the brain tissues normally perfused by the damaged vessels, commonly referred to as a “stroke”. Ischemia: A condition in which blood supply is held back from a part of the body. Commonly Confused Terms Ilium: One of the bones of each half of the pelvis Ileum: Third part of the small intestine Intervertebral: Pertaining to lying between two vertebrae (intervertebral disk) Intravertebral: Situated or occurring within a vertebra (intravertebral vacuum) Peritoneum: Membrane that surrounds the abdomen to the abdominal organs in place Perineum: The area between the anus and the scrotum (or vulva in females) Mucous: (Adjective) Pertaining to membrane that secretes mucus Mucus: (Noun) Secretion from mucus membrane Palpation: process of touching and feeling Palpitation: Having the heart throb, a feeling that your heart is beating too hard or too fast Albumen: The white of an egg Albumin: Protein molecule in the blood Humerus: (Noun) Bone of upper arm Humoral: (Adjective) A general English word that means amusing or funny Contraction: Normal tensing and shortening of muscle from nerve impulse Contracture: Abnormal, fixed position of permanently flexed muscle Reflex: Involuntary, automatic response of muscular-nervous pathway Reflux: Backward flowing of fluid Ureter: (Noun) Tube that connects kidney to bladder Ureteral: (Adjective) Ureteral obstruction, ureteral stent, ureteral catheter Urethra: Tube that connects the bladder to outside of the body Urethral: Adjective of Urethra Vesical: Pertaining to the urinary bladder Vesicle: Small fluid-filled blister on skin Prostate: Gland that surrounds urethra in males Prostrate: Lying in a face-down position Breath: (Noun) air that flows in and out of lungs Breathe: (Verb) Action of inhaling and exhaling Artheri/o: Artery Arther/o: Plaque or fatty substance Arthr/o: Joint Fissure: Groove or crack-like sore of the skin; it also describes normal folds in the contour of the brain Fistula: Abnormal passage between two internal organs Infection: The invasion of the body by a pathogen organism Inflammation: Localized response to an injury or destruction of tissues Laceration: Torn, ragged wound Lesion: A pathologic change of the tissues to disease or injury Myc/o: Fungus Myel/o: Bone marrow or spinal cord My/o: Muscle Pyel/o: Renal pelvis Py/o: Pus Pyr/o: Fever or fire Supination: The act of rotating the arm so that the palm of the hand is forward or upward. Suppuration: The formation or discharge of pus Trauma: Wound or injury Tumor: A swelling of a part of the body caused by an abnormal growth of tissue. Viral: Pertaining to a virus Virile: Possessing masculine traits Note: Some words are the same in spelling, but have more than one meaning according to the context in which they are used. Examples: Lithotomy: Incision to remove the stones from the kidney Lithotomy: An examination position in which the patient is lying on back with feet and legs raised and supported in stirrups. Calculus: Kidney stone Calculus: A name of heel bone Colic: Spasm of stomach around ureters and bladder Colic: Spasm of smooth muscle around intestines Pelvis: Funnel-shaped area in kidney Pelvis: Hipbones with sacrum and coccyx Scler: White of the eye Scler/o: Hardening Myel/o: Spinal cord Myel/o: Bone marrow Cyst/o: Urinary bladder Cyst: Filled sac or pouch Pronunciation of Medical Terms Table 1.15 Irregular Spelling and Pronunciation Spelling Pronunciation Example Meaning dys dis Dyspnea Difficulty in breathing ph f Pharmacy A place for dispensing medicine c z Xyphoid Cartilage attached to the sternum ch K chronic Pertaining to time (a disease that remains for long period of time) Table 1.16 Silent Letters Term Silent Letter/s Meaning Rhinoplasty H Plastic repair of the nose Ptosis P Drooping Pneumonia P Lung infection Gnathic G Pertaining to the jaw Psychiatrist P Specialist in the treatment of the mind Euthanasia E Painless killing of the patient suffering from an incurable disease Table 1.17 Soft and Hard “c” Soft c (s) Hard c (k) Cerebral Cardiology Hyperglycemia Arthroscope Encephalogram Cardiac Cytology Gastric Leukocyte Electrical Septicemia Endocrinology Amniocentesis Pericardium Cell Medical Incision Pharmacology Rule: When the letter “c” is followed by “I, e, or y,” it is usually pronounced “s”; otherwise it is pronounced “k”.