Introduction to Medical Terminology

• Word root
• Prefix
• Suffix
• Combining vowel

It is the foundation of a medical term and provides us with the general meaning of the word.  It often indicates the body system or part of the body that is being discussed, such as cardi for heart.  At other times the word root may be an action.  For example, the word root cis means to cut (as in incision).  A term may have more than one word root.  For example, osteoarthritis combines the word root oste meaning bone and arthr meaning joints.  Combined with suffix -itis, meaning an inflammation involving bone at the joints.

Is at the beginning of the word, frequently gives information about the location of an organ, the number of parts, or the time (frequency).  For example, the prefix bi- stands for two of something, such as bilateral, which means having two sides.  However, not every term will have a prefix.

Is at the end of the word to add meaning, such as condition, disease, or procedure. 

Every medical term must have a suffix.

For example, the suffix -itis, which means inflammation, when added to cardi- forms the new word carditis, which means inflammation of the heart.  The majority of the time, the suffix is added to a word root, as in carditis above. However, terms can also be built from a suffix added directly to a prefix, without a word root.  For example, the term dystrophy, which means abnormal development, is built from the prefix dys- and the suffix -trophy (meaning development).

It is a vowel (usually o) that links the word root to another word root or a suffix.

To decide whether to use a combining vowel between a word root and a suffix, first look at the suffix.  If it begins with a vowel, do not use the combining vowel.  If however, the suffix begins with a consonant, then use the combining vowel.  For example: to combine arthr with -scope will require a combining vowel: arthroscope.  But to combine arthr with -itis does not require a combining vowel: arthritis.

The combining vowel is typically kept between two word roots, even if the second word root begins with a vowel.  For example, in forming the term gastroenteritis the combining vowel is kept between the two word roots gastr and enter.  The combining vowel makes the pronunciation easier.

When writing a word root by itself its combining form is typically used.

This consists of the word root and its combining vowel written in a word root/vowel form, for example, cardi/o.

Meaning / Example (Definition)

gland / adenopathy (gland disease)

cancer / carcinoma (cancerous tumor)

heart / cardiac (pertaining to the heart)

chemical / chemotherapy (treatment with chemicals)

to cut / incision (process of cutting into)

skin / dermatology (study of the skin)

small intestine / enteric (pertaining to the small intestine)

stomach / gastric (pertaining to the stomach)

female / gynecology (study of females)

blood / hematic (pertaining to the blood)

water / hydrocele (protrusion of water [in the scrotum])

immune / immunology (study of immunity)

voice box / laryngeal (pertaining to the voice box)

shape / morphology (study of shape)

kidney / nephromegaly (enlarged kidney)

nerve / neural (pertaining to a nerve)

eye / ophthalmic (pertaining to the eye)

ear / otic (pertaining to the ear)

disease / pathology (study of disease)

lung / pulmonary (pertaining to the lungs)

nose / rhinoplasty (surgical repair of the nose)

urine, urinary tract / urology (study of the urinary tract)

Meaning / Example (Definition)

without, away from / aphasia (without speech)

without / anoxia (without oxygen)

before, in front of / antepartum (before birth)

against / antibiotic (against life)

self / autograft (a graft from one's own body)

slow / bradycardia (slow heartbeat)

painful, difficult / dyspnea (difficulty breathing)

within, inner / endoscope (instrument to view within)

upon, over / epigastric (upon or over the stomach)

normal, good / eupnea (normal breathing)

different / heterograft (a graft from another person's body)

same / homozygous (having two identical genes)

over, above / hypertrophy (overdevelopment)

under, below / hypoglossal (under the tongue)

under, beneath, below / infraorbital (below, under the eye socket)

among, between / intervertebral (between the vertebrae)

within, inside / intravenous (inside, within a vein)

large / macrocephalic (having a large head)

small / microcephalic (having a small head)

new / neonate (newborn)

all / pancarditis (inflammation of all the heart)

beside, beyond, near / paranasal (near or alongside the nose)

through / percutaneous (through the skin)

around / pericardial (around the heart)

after / postpartum (after birth)

before, in front of / prefrontal (in front of the frontal bone)

false / pseudocyesis (false pregnancy)

backward, behind / retrograde (movement in a backward direction)

below, under / subcutaneous (under, below the skin)

above, excess / supernumerary (above the normal number)

above / suprapubic (above the pubic bone)

rapid, fast / tachycardia (fast heartbeat)

through, across / transurethral (across the urethra)

beyond, excess / ultrasound (high-frequency sound waves)

Meaning / Example (Definition)

two / bilateral (two sides)

half / hemiplegia (paralysis of one side/half the body)

one / monoplegia (paralysis of one extremity)

many / multigravida (woman pregnant more than once)

none / nulligravida (woman with no preganancies)

many / polyuria (large amounts of urine)

four / quadriplegia (paralysis of all four extremities)

partial, half / semiconscious (partially conscious)

three / triceps (muscle with three heads)

one / unilateral (one side)

Meaning / Example (Definition)

pain / gastralgia (stomach pain)

hernia, protrusion / cystocele (protrusion of the bladder)

cut / excise (to cut out)

cell / erythrocyte (red cell)

pain / cardiodynia (heart pain)

dilation / bronchiectasis (dilated bronchi)

that which produces / mutagen (that wich produces mutations)

produces, generates / osteogenesis (produces bone)

producing, produced by / carcinogenic (producing cancer)

state, condition / hemiplegia (condition of being half paralyzed)

abnormal condition / lithiasis (abnormal condition of stones)

state of / hypothyroidism (state of low thyroid)

inflammation / cellulitis (inflammation of cells)

one who studies / cariologist (one who studies the heart)

study of / cardiology (study of the heart)

destruction / osteolysis (bone destruction)

abnormal softening / chondromalacia (abnormal cartilage softening)

enlargement, large / cardiomegaly (enlarged heart)

tumor, mass / carcinoma (cancerous tumor)

abnormal condition / cyanosis (abnormal condition of being blue)

disease / myopathy (muscle disease)

development, growth / dysplasia (abnormal development)

formation, development / neoplasm (new formation)

drooping / proctoptosis (drooping rectum)

excessive, abnormal flow / hemorrhage (excessive bleeding)

discharge, flow / rhinorrhea (discharge from the nose)

rupture / hysterorrhexis (ruptured uterus)

hardening / arteriosclerosis (hardening of an artery)

narrowing / angiostenosis (narrowing of a vessel)

treatment / chemotherapy (treatment with chemicals)

nourishment, development / hypertrophy (excessive development)

Meaning / Example (Definition)

pertaining to /  cardiac (pertaining to the heart)

pertaining to / duodenal (pertaining to the duodenum)

pertaining to / ovarian (pertaining to the ovary)

pertaining to / ventricular (pertaining to the ventricle)

pertaining to / pulmonary (pertaining to the lungs)

pertaining to / esophageal (pertaining to the esophagus)

pertaining to / chondriac (pertaining to cartilage)

pertaining to / gastric (pertaining to the stomach)

pertaining to / neurological (pertaining to the study of the nerves)

pertaining to / penile (pertaining to the penis)

pertaining to / superior (pertaining to above)

pertaining to / auditory (pertaining to hearing)

pertaining to / adipose (pertaining to fat)

pertaining to / intravenous (pertaining to within a vein)

pertaining to / acoustic (pertaining to the hearing)

Meaning / Example (Definition)

puncture to withdraw fluid / arthrocentesis (puncture to withdraw fluid from a joint)

surgical removal / gastrectomey (surgically remove the stomach)

surgically create an opening / colostomy (surgically create an opeing for the colon through the abdominal wall)

cutting into / thoracotomy (cutting into the chest)

surgical fixation / nephropexy (surgical fixation of a kidney)

surgical repair / dermatoplasty (surgical repair of the skin)

suture / myorrhaphy (suture together muscle)

Meaning / Example (Definition)

record or picture / electrocardiogram (record of heart's electricity)

instrument for recording / electrocardiograph (instrument for recording the heart's electrical activity)

process of recording / electrocardiography (process of recording the heart's electrical activity)

instrument for measuring / audiometer (instrument to measure hearing)

process of measuring / audiometry (process of measuring hearing)

instrument for viewing / gastroscope (instrument to view stomach)

process of visually examining / gastroscopy (process of visually examining the stomach)

hyster/o (meaning uterus) to salping/o (meaning fallopian tubes) along with the suffix -ectomy (meaning surgical removal of) forms hysterosalpingectomy, the removal of both the uterus and the fallopian tubes.

Note: that the combining vowel o is dropped when adding the suffix -ectomy since two vowels are not necessary.

• Divide the term into its word parts. (gastr/o/enter/o/logy)
• Define each word part. (gastr = stomach; o = combining vowel, no meaning;  enter = small intestine; o = combining vowel, not meaning; -logy = study of)
• Combine the meaning of the word parts. (stomach, small intestine, study of)

• You will hear different pronunciations for the same terms, as long as it is clear which term people are discussing, differing pronunciations are acceptable. 
• If you have any doubt about a term being discussed, ask for the term to be spelled.

• You will hear differing pronunciations of the same term, there will be only one correct spelling. 
• If you have any doubt about the spelling of a term or of its meaning, always look it up in a medical dictionary. 
• If only one letter of the word is changed, it could make a critical difference for the patient. 

Example: think ileum, or small intestine and ilium, or hip bone.

• psy (psychiatry)
• cy (cytology)

• dys (dyspepsia)
• dis (dislocation)

Many medical terms originate from Greek and Latin words.  The rules for forming the singular and plural forms of some words follow the rules of these languages rather than English.  For example, the heart has a left atrium and a right atrium for a total of two atrias, not two atriums.  Other words, such as virus and viruses, are changed from singular to plural by following English rules.  Each medical term needs to be considered individually when changing from the singular to the plural form.

vertebra > vertebrae

thorax > thoraces

appendix > appendices

metastasis > metastases

sarcoma > sarcomata

phalanx > phalanges

ganglion > ganglia

nucleus > nuclei

ovum > ova

biopsy > biopsies

They are commonly used in the medical profession as a way of saving time.  However, some abbreviations can be confusing, such as SM for simple mastectomy and sm for small.  Use of the incorrect abbreviation can result in problems for the patient, as well as with insurance records and processing.  If you have any concern that you will confuse someone by using an abbreviation, spell out the word instead.  It is never acceptable to use one's own abbreviations. 

It documents the details of a patient's hospital stay.  Each healthcare professional who has contact with the patient in any capacity completes the appropriate report of that contact with the patient in any capacity completes the appropriate report of that contact and adds it to the chart.  This results in a permanent physical record of the patient's day-to-day condition, when and what services he or she received, and the response to treatment.  (Each page must contain the proper patient identification information: the patient's name, age, gender, physician, admission date, and identification number.)

• History and Physical
• Physician's Orders
• Nurse's Notes
• Physician's Progress Notes
• Consultation Reports
• Ancillary Reports
• Diagnostic Reports
• Informed Consent
• Operative Report
• Anesthesiologist's Report
• Pathologhist's Report
• Discharge Summary

 History and Physical

 Physician's Orders

Nurse's Notes

Physician's Progress Notes

Consultation Reports

Ancillary Reports

Diagnostic Reports

Informed Consent

Operative Report

Anesthesiologist's Report

Pathologist's Report

Discharge Summary