Chapter 5. Medical Terminology Flashcards
Word root
The foundation of the word
Conveys the essential meaning of the word and frequently indicates a body part
Prefix
- What occurs before the root word (appears at the beginning)
- a prefix gives the root word specific meaning
Suffix
What occurs after the root word
Usually indicate a procedure, condition, disease, or part of speech
Combining vowels
The part of a term that connects a word root to a suffix or other word root
Usually an o, sometimes an I or e
Helps easy pronunciation
Common root words in ems: meanings... Cardi: Hepat: Nephr: Neur: Psych: Thorac: Pulmon Oste
Heart Liver Kidney Nerves Mind Chest Lungs Bones
Common prefixes in ems: meanings... Hyper Hypo Tachy Brady Pre Post
Over, excessive, high Under, below normal Rapid, fast Slow Before After
Common suffixes in ems: meanings..
- Al
- Algia
- Ectomy
- Ic
- Itis
- Logy
- Logist
- Megaly
- Meter
- Oma
- Pathy
- Pertaining to
- Pertaining to pain
- Surgical removal of
- Pertaining to
- Inflammation
- Study of
- Specialist
- Enlargement
- Measuring instrument
- Tumor (usually referring to cancer?
- Disease
Common number prefixes
- Uni 14. Nona
- Dipl 15. Deca
- Null 16. Semi
- Primi 17. Hemi
- Multi 18. Ambi
- Bi 19. Pan
- Tri
- Quad
- Tetra
- Quint
- Sexti
- Septi
- Oct
One. Ten Two;doubled. Half;partial None. Half;one sided First Both Many. All, entire Two Three Four Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine
Word roots that describe color Cyan/o Leuk/o Erythr/o Cirrh/o Melan/o Poli/o Alb Chlor/o
Blue White Red Yellow-orange Black Gray White green
Prefixes that describe position: to/from
Ab-
Ad-
- away from
- To, towards
Prefixes that describe position: above/below/around De- Circum- Peri- Trans- Epi- Supra- Retro- Sub- Infra- Para- Contra-
Down from, away Around, about Around Across, beyond Above, upon, On Above, over Behind Under Underneath Near, beside, beyond, apart from Against.. opposite
Prefixes that describe position.. outside/inside Ecto- Endo- Extra- Intra- Ipsi-
Out, outside Within Outside, in addition Inside, within Same
Lateral
Parts of the body that lie farther from the midline
Medial
The parts that lie closer to the midline of the body
Superior
Any part of the body that is the portion nearer to the head from a specific reference point
Inferior
Any part of the body nearer to the feet from a specific reference.
Proximal
Describe structures that are closer to the trunk
For example, the elbow is proximal to the wrist and hand
Distal
Describe structures that are farther from the trunk or near to the free end of the extremity
For example, the elbow is distal to the shoulder
Superficial
Means closer to or on the skin
For example, a superficial burn just involves the top layer of skin, or an abrasion (superficial wound) which is just scraping your knee
Deep
Deep means farther inside the body or tissue and away from the skin
An example would be a laceration, from something like a knife stab
Anterior (Ventral)
Refers to the belly side of the body, or the anterior surface of the body
Posterior (dorsal)
Refers to the spinal side of the body
Directional terms: Front and back- Right and left- Top and bottom - Closest and farthest - Middle and side - In and out-
Anterior and posterior (ventral & distal) Right and left Superior and inferior Proximal and distal Medial and lateral Superficial and deep
Palmar
The front region of the hand is referred to as the palm or Palmar surface
