Introduction to Medical
Terminology
Done by:
Dr. Noor Saadi
2016-2017
Objectives of this lecture
• Identify and distinguish among the four elements of medical
terms: roots, suffixes, prefixes, and combining form.
• Describe how medical terms are divided into word elements.
• Apply the basic rules to define and build medical words.
• Locate the pronunciation guidelines chart and interpret
pronunciation marks.
• State the rules for determining singular and plural endings.
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ORIGIN OF MEDICAL TERMS
• Hippocrates was a Greek
physician and is known as the
“father of medicine.”
• 75% of medical terms are based
on either Greek or Latin words.
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What are the basic elements of medical terms
prefix
root
Combining
vowel
suffix
Combining form
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Word Roots (WR)
Usually derived form Greek or Latin
Frequently indicates a body part
Most medical terms have one or more word roots
Eg:
cardi
ology
WR
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Examples of Word Roods
Greek Word
Word Root
Kardia (heart)
Cardi
Gaster (stomach)
Gastr
Hepar (liver)
Hepat
Nephros (kidney)
Nephr
Osteon (bone)
oste
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Combining Form (CF) is a Word Root
(WR) plus a vowel, usually an “o”
Usually indicates a body part
Combining Forms (CF)
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Combining Forms Examples
Cardi/ + o = cardi/o
heart
gastr/ + o = gastr/o
stomach
hepat/ + o = hepat/o
liver
nephr/ + o = nephr/o
kidney
oste/ + o = oste/o
bone
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Suffixes
Word Ending
Suffix usually indicates a procedure, condition,
disease, or part of speech
Usually derived from Greek or Latin
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Examples of Suffix
Arthr/o -centesis
Arthrocentesis
joint
puncture puncture of a joint
throac/o -tomy
Thoracotomy
chest incision incision of the chest
gastr/o -megaly
Gastromegaly
stomach enlargement enlargement of the
stomach
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Disorder Suffixes
Disorder suffix Meaning
-ema
swelling
-trophy
nourishment
-ia
condition of
-iasis
abnormal condition of
-megaly
enlargement
-oma
tumour (mass which may or may not
be cancerous)
-osis
abnormal condition
-ptysis
spitting up
-staxis
dripping blood
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SUFFIXES:
Surgical Procedures
-centesis
– surgical puncture
-desis
– surgical binding
-ectomy
– excision, removal, cut out
-pexy
– surgical fixation
-
plasty
– surgical repair, correction
-rrhaphy
– suture
-sect
– to cut
-stomy
– forming a new opening
(permanent opening)
-tome
– instrument for cutting
-tomy
– incision into, cut into
-tripsy
– to crush, break down
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Moe, after the
bandages come off
and the wounds
heal, you’ll still be a
pig.
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SUFFIXES:
diagnostic procedures
--gram
– written record, recording
-graph
– instrument for recording
-graphy
– process of recording
-manometer
– instrument for measuring pressure
-manometry
– process of measuring pressure
-meter
– instrument for measuring
-metery
– process of measuring
-opsy
– Visual examination
-scope - instrument for examining
-scopy
– process of examining, examination
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Prefixes
Word element located at the beginning of a word
Changes the meaning of the word
Usually indicates a number, time, position, direction,
color, or sense of negation
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Examples of Prefix
A-
mast -ia
without breast condition
hyper-
therm
-ia
excessive heat condition
intra-
muscul
-ar
in muscle relating to
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Common prefixes
Disorder Prefixes
Meaning
a, an
without
brady
slow
dys
difficult or painful
hyper
above
hypo
below
oligo
few
poly
many
tachy
fast
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Number Prefixes
bi
–
two
hemi
–
half
mono
–
one
multi
–
many
nulli
–
none
poly
–
many
quad
–
four
semi
–
partial
,
half
tri
–
three
uni
–
one
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Basic Rule One
A WR (word root) is used before a suffix that begins
with a vowel.
Scler/ + osis = sclerosis
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Basic Rule Two
A combining vowel is used to link a WR to a suffix
that begins with a consonant and to link a WR to
another WR to form a compound word
colon/o + scope = colonscope
osteo/ o/ chondr/ itis = osteochondritis
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Defining Medical Words
First, define the suffix or ending
Second, define the prefix, or beginning
Third, define the middle
Endo
card
itis
inflammation
heart
Inner layer
Inflammation the inner layer of the heart
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Rules!
To define medical terms, divide or slash them into
their component parts; these word components are
called prefixes, suffixes, and roots.
Use the hyphen ( - )
after
the word component to
indicate that it is a prefix; use it
after
the combining
form to indicate that it needs a suffix; use it
before
the word component to indicate it is a suffix.
For example:
Epi-gastr/o/-cele
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Medical terms
Diseases and disorders
Aetiology - study of cause of diseases
Signs
– clinical evidence of cause of diseases or disorders
Symptoms
– indicators of disease that the patient is experiencing
Disease
– set of signs and symptoms that disrupts normal function of a
body system or organ
Diagnosis
– is when the doctor finds or decides what is causing the
signs and symptoms i.e. the disease or disorder
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Diseases and disorders
Prognosis
– forecast of the outcome / recovery from the
disease
Morbidity
– presence of illness or disease
Mortality
– death
Acute
– beginning abruptly and usually intense
Chronic
– refers to something lasting for a long time
Terminal - will cause death
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Hints for pronouncing
Consonant
Example
c (before a,o,u) = k
Cavity, colon,cure
c (before e,i ) = s
Cephalic, cirrhosis
ch = k
cholesterol
g (before a, o, u) = g
gallstone,gonad
g (before e, i ) = j
generic, giant
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Hints for pronouncing
Consonant
Example
ph = f
phase, pharnyx
pn = n
pneumonia
ps = s
psychiatry, psychology
pt = t
ptosis, pterygium
rh,rrh
rhythm, haemorrhoid
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example
plural
example
singular
vertebrae
-ae
vertebra
-a
thoraces
-aces
thorax
-ax
diagnoses
-es
diagnosis
-is
appendices
-ices
appendix
-ix, -ex
diverticula
-a
diverticulum
-um
bronchi
-i
bronchus
-us
ovaries
-ies
ovary
-y
Singular & plural
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•
Thanks for your attention
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