Chapter 5 Flashcards
abdominal quadrants
four divisions of the abdomen used to pinpoint the location of a pain or injury: the right upper quadrant (RUQ), the left upper quadrant (LUQ), the right lower quadrant (RLQ), and the left lower quadrant (LLQ).
anatomical position
the standard reference position for the body in the study of anatomy. In this position, the body is standing erect, facing the observer, with arms down at the sides and the palms of the hands forward.
anatomy
the study of body structure.
anterior
the front of the body or body part.
bilateral
on both sides.
combining form
a word root with an added vowel that can be joined with other words, roots, or suffixes to form a new word; for example, the combining form therm/o added to meter makes the new word thermometer.
compound
a word formed from two or more whole words.
distal
farther away from the torso.
dorsal
referring to the back of the body or the back of the hand or foot. A synonym for posterior.
Fowler position
a sitting position.
inferior
away from the head; usually compared with another structure that is closer to the head (e.g., the lips are _________ to the nose).
lateral
to the side, away from the midline of the body.
medial
toward the midline of the body.
mid-axillary line
(mid-AX-uh-lair-e) a line drawn vertically from the middle of the armpit to the ankle.
mid-clavicular line
(mid-clah-VIK-yuh-ler) the line through the center of each clavicle.
midline
an imaginary line drawn down the center of the body, dividing it into right and left halves.
palmar
referring to the palm of the hand.
patella
(pah-TEL-uh) the kneecap.
physiology
the study of body function.
plane
a flat surface formed when slicing through a solid object.
plantar
referring to the sole of the foot.
posterior
the back of the body or body part.
prefix
word part added to the beginning of a root or word to modify or qualify its meaning.
prone
lying face down.
proximal
closer to the torso.
recovery position
lying on the side. Also called lateral recumbent position.
root
foundation of a word that is not a word that can stand on its own, for example, the root cardi, meaning “heart,” in words such as cardiac and cardiology.
suffix
word part added to the end of a root or word to complete its meaning; for example, the suffix -itis added to the root laryng forms the word laryngitis.
superior
toward the head (e.g., the chest is superior to the abdomen).
supine
lying on the back.
torso
the trunk of the body; the body without the head and the extremities.
unilateral
limited to one side.
ventral
referring to the front of the body. A synonym for anterior.
