Chapter 1 - Basic Elements of a Medical Word Flashcards
Word Root
The foundation of a medical term and contains its primary meaning.
- all have at least one WR
- Greek WR used to build words that describe a disease, condition, treatment, or diagnosis
- Latin WR used to build words that describe anatomical structures
Skin
Dermatos (Gr) WR - dermat
Cutis (L) WR - cutane
Kidney
Nephros (Gr) WR - nephr
rênes (L) WR - ren
Mouth
Stomatos (Gr) WR - stomat
Oris (L) WR - oris
Combining Forms
Is created when a word root is combined with a vowel.
- the vowel (combining vowel is usually an o, but is sometimes an i
erythr/ + o = erythr/o
red
gastric/ + o = gastr/o
stomach
hepat/ + o = hepat/o
liver
immun/ + o = immun/o
immune, immunity, safe
nephr/ + o = nephr/o
kidney
oste/ + o = oste/o
bone
Suffix
A word element placed at the end of a word that changes the meaning of the word.
- usually describes a pathology (disease or abnormality), symptom, surgical or diagnostic procedure, or part of speech.
-itis
inflammation
-megaly
enlargement
-oma
tumor
Prefix
Word element attached at the beginning of a word or word root.
- not all medical words have a prefix
- prefix usually indicates a number, time, position, direction, or negation
an-
without, not
hyper-
excessive, above normal
intra-
in, within
para-
near, beside; beyond
poly-
many, much
pre-
before
Rules for defining medical words
- Define the suffix, or last part of the word
- Define the first part of the word (might be a word root, combining form, or prefix
- Define the middle parts of the word
Rules for building medical words
- A word root links a suffix that begins with a vowel
- A combining form (root + o) links a suffix that begins with a consonant
- A combining form links one root to another root to form a compound word (rule holds true even if second root beings with a vowel such as osteoarthritis
