Intro to Medical
Terminology
Objective of the Study
After completion of the tutorial, the learner will
be able to:
• Explain the components of medical terminology
• Break down the word parts of medical terminology
• Explain the meaning of medical terminology related
with anatomy, physiology, pathology, and procedure
Origins of medical terminology
• Medicine has a language of its own ➔Medical Terminology
• A single medical terminology can describe anatomy of the
body, a disease, condition or procedure that might
otherwise take several words.
• Most of medical terms are derived from Latin and Greek
- There is no possible way for everyone to memorize all of
the words in a medical dictionary.
• Learning how medical terminology constructed will help us
to understand the meaning of Medical terminology
4 Categories of Medical Terms
➢Eponyms: Medical terms named after the people who
discovered a disease or scientific process. Example:
Pasteurization is an eponym named after the scientist Louis
Pasteur, etc
➢Abbreviations: Short versions of longer words. Example:
Histo is the short version of the word: histology, which
means the study of tissues, etc
➢Acronyms: Short Word formed from the first letters of the
longer phrase. Example: SARS (Sever Acute Respiratory
Syndrome), SOB (Short OF Breath)
➢Constructed terms: made up of several distinct parts or
word Roots.
Combining Vowel
Word Parts
Word Parts
• Word roots or combining forms.
• BASIC MEANING of the term.
• Usually indicate body part involved.
• Cardi = heart
• Prefixes usually indicate location, time, number or status.
• Comes at BEGINING of word.
• Pericardium = around the heart
• Suffixes usually indicate the procedure, condition, disorder,
or disease.
• Comes at END of word.
• Cardiomyopathy = disease of heart muscle
• Combining vowels
• as the connector between word roots and suffixes
• Cardiomyopathy
Word
Roots
Word Roots
• Word root is the foundation of the medical
terminology
• It cannot stand alone.
• A prefix and/or suffix must be added
• Word roots in their combining form have a /vowel
• Cardi/o
• Neur/o
• Gastr/o
Word Roots – Body (general)
• homeo- = body • arterio-/angio- = arteries
• cephalo- = head • veno-/vena- = venous
• cerv- = neck • vasculo- = vascular
• thoraco- = chest • musculo- = muscle
• abdomino- = abdominal • myo- /sarco- = muscle
• pelvo/i- = pelvic • skelet- = skeleton; bone
• periton- = peritoneum • osteo- = bone
• derm- = skin/dermis • cyto- = cell
• neuro- = nerve • -cyte = cell; cellular
• hemo- = blood
Word Root – Body (organs)
Neck & Thoracic Organs
• Thyro- = thyroid
• Tracheo- = trachea
• Esophago- = esophagus
• Thymo- = thymus
• Masto-/Mammo- = Mammary gland
• Pulmo- / pneumo- = lung
• Cardio- = heart
Word Roots – Body (organs)
Abdominal Organs
• Gastro- = stomach
• Hepato- = liver
• Cholecysto- = gallbladder
• Spleno- = spleen
• Pancreato- = pancreas
• Adreno- = adrenal gland
• Nephro- = kidney
• Entero- = intestines
• Colo- = colon/large intestine
Combining Vowels
• The combining vowel is used to link the root to the suffix
or the root to another root.
• The combining vowel has no meaning of its own.
• When a vowel is link to the root, this combination is
called combining form.
• A combining vowel is needed to make the medical term
become easier to pronounce
• A combing vowel, if used, is added to the end of the word
root.
• The letter O is the most commonly used combining
[Link] letter I is also used occasionally
Rules for Using Combining Vowels
1. A combining vowel is used when the suffix begins
with a consonant
• Neur/o + plasty = neuroplasty
• Neur/o = nerve
• Plasty = surgical repair
2. A combining vowel is not used if the suffix begins
with a vowel.
• Neur/o + itis = neuritis.
• Neur = nerve
• itis = inflammation
Rules for Using Combining Vowels
3. A combining vowel is always used when 2 or more
word roots are joined.
• Gastr/o + enter/o + itis = Gastroenteritis.
• Gastr/o = stomach
• enter/o = small intestine
• -itis = inflammation
4. A prefix does not require a combining vowel.
Examples of Combining Form
• Aden/o = gland
• Cardi/o = heart
• Dermat/o = skin
• Enter/o = small intestines
• gastr/o = stomach
• Hemat/o = blood
• Nephr/o = kidney
• Neur/o = nerve
• Pulmon/o = lungs
Prefixes
Prefixes
• A prefix is added at the beginning to change
the meaning of the term.
• They usually indicate location, time or
number.
• Natal means pertaining to(al) + birth (nat).
• Prenatal means time & events before birth.
• Perinatal means time and events just before,
during, & after birth.
• Postnatal means time & event after birth.
Prefixes – Numerical and Speed
Numerical Speed
➢Nulli- = None Tachy- = rapid; fast
➢Uni-/Mono- = single; singular Brady-/ brachy- = slow
➢Bi-/Di- = two; double
➢Tri- = three; triple
➢Quad- = four; quadruple
➢Semi- /Hemi- = partial or half
➢Multy- /Poly- = many; a lot
➢Oligo- = few; very little
Prefixes – Sizes and Amounts
• Macro- (large; visible to the naked eye)
• Macro- (small, not visible to the naked eye)
• Hyper- (high; above normal; elevated)
• Hypo- (low; below normal; elevated)
• Eu/normo- (normal)
• Pan-/Omi- (all)
• A-/An- (absent; lacking)
• Megalo- (Large; Larger than average)
Prefixes – Location and Movement
Location Movements
• Epi-/peri-/ circum- = around * Ab- = away
• Endo- / intra- = inside; inner; interior * Ad- =toward
• Exo-/ extra- = outside; outer; exterior * Dis- = to separate
• Inter- = between
• Trans- = across
• Dia- / per- = through; complete
• Medi (o/a) = middle
• Para- = nearby
• Juxta- = next to; beside; adjacent
Prefixes - Colours
• Chromo- /chromato- = color
• Leuko- = white
• Erythro- = red
• Cyano- = blue
• Chloro- = green
• Melan- = black
• Flav- = yellow
Suffixes
Suffixes
• Suffix – added to end of word.
• Usually indicates procedure, condition, disorder, or
disease.
Example:
• Tonsill/o means tonsils. A suffix completes the word
and tells what is happening to the tonsils.
• Tonsillitis.
• tonsill (tonsil) + itis (inflammation).
• Tonsillectomy (tonsil) +(surgical removal).
Suffixes
• Some suffixes change the word root into an adjective.
Many of these suffixes are defne as “pertaining to”.
Most common:-al,-ic, -ac.
• Cardiac cardi/o (heart) + ac (pertaining to).
• cardiac arrest; cardiac output
• Some suffixes change the word root into a noun.
Suffix “um” is a noun ending.
• Cranium crani (skull) + um (noun ending).
• Cranium bone; cranium lateral
Suffixes - General & Condition
• -ic pertaining to
• -al = pertaining to
• -logy = study of
• -logist = specialist of
• -itis = inflammation
• -oma = tumor
• -pathy = disease
• -osis = abnormal condition
• -megaly = enlargement
Common Suffixes - Procedures
• -ectomy = excision;removal
• -tomy = incision;cutting
• -stomy = to make a hole
• -scopy = to view
• -plasty = surgical repair
• -therapy = treatment
Practice Problems
• Divide word into its part.
• Find the meaning of each part.
• Make definition of Medical terminology from
the combination of each part.
• Usually definition starts from suffix, then
prefix (if it has any) and the last is word root.
• The following are the examples of how to find
the meaning of Medical terminology.
Practice Problems
• gastroenterology
• gastr/o- = stomach
• enter/o- = small intestines
• -logy = Study of
• Study of gastrointestinal system.
• endocrinologist
• endocrin/o- = the endocrine system
• -logist = a specialist
• A specialist of endocrine system
Practise Problems
• transdermal
• trans- = Across
• derm- = skin/dermis
• -al = pertaining to
• Across the skin.
• extrathoracic
• extra- = outside; outer; exterior
• thorac- = chest
• -ic =pertaining to
• Pertaining to outside the chest
Practice Problem
• intraabdominal
• intra- = within; inside; inner
• abdomin = abdomen
• -al = relating to
• Within/inside the abdomen.
• adrenal
• ad- = toward; above
• ren = kidney
• -al = relating to
• Organ (toward) above the kidney.
Practice Problems
• parathyroid
• para- = nearby
• -thyroid = thyroid
• Small organs near the thyroid (parathyroid glands).
• perinephric
• peri- = around
• nephr- = kidney
• -ic = pertaining to
• Pertaining to around the kidney.
Practice Problems
• oogenesis
• oo- = egg
• -genesis = the coming into being of something, the
formation
• The formation or development of an ovum/egg.
Now it’s your turn!!!
• gastric
• osteoarthritis
• neuralgia
• nephrectomy
• gastroenterology
• ophthalmologist
• osteoma
• tracheostomy
• Hepatomegaly
• hypodermic
To Be Continued…
