Chapter 1: Basic Elements of Medical Words Flashcards
A medical word consists of some or more of the following elements:
Word root, combining vowel/form, suffix, prefix.
Word Root
Foundation of a medical term, contains its primary meaning.
Latin Roots
Describe anatomical structures
Greek Roots
Describe diseases, conditions, treatments, and diagnoses of anatomical structures.
Combining Forms
Created when a root word is combined with a vowel, known as a combining vowel.
Suffixes
A word element placed at the end of the word that alters its meaning
Prefixes
A word element attached to the beginning of the word/word root.
Basic Guidelines
Step 1: define the suffix
Step 2: define the first part of the word
Step 3: define the middle part of the word.
Rules of Building Medical Words
Rule 1: word root links to a suffix that begins with a vowel.
Rule 2: combining form links to a suffix that begins with a consonant.
Rule 3: Combining form links 1 root to another root to form a compound word.
Didactical Marks
Symbols placed above vowels that are used to show vowel sounds
Macron
Indicates the long sound of vowels.
Breve
Indicates the short sound of vowels.
Capitalization
Used to indicate the primary accent; shows where emphasis should be put on a word.
