Chapter 5 - Medical Terminology Flashcards
What components comprise medical terms?
They include word root, preflix, suffix, and combining vowels
What are word roots?
Main part or stem of a word
What are prefixes
Usually describes location or intensity
Not all medical terms have prefixes
What are suffixes?
They usually indicate a procedure, condition, disease, or part of speech
Where is the prefix?
It is always at the beginning of the term
However , note not all terms will have an prefix
Where is the suffix?
It is at the end of a term
A change to AE
Vertebra to Vertebra
Is change to es
diagnosis to diagnoses
ex or ix changes to ices
apex to apices
on or um change to a
ganglion to gangila,ovum to ova
us change to I
bronchus to bronchi
what do prefixes indicate?
Number, colors, positions and directions
Example of numbers in prefixes
uni, dipl, null, primi, multi,bi
Examples of colors in prefixes
cyan/o, leuk/o, cirrh/o, and mealn/o
Positions and directions
In prefixes, it can describe a position, direction or location
Example of position and directions
ab, ad, de, circum, peri, trans, epi, supra
Examples of Directional terms
Common directional terms include:
a. Right and left b. Superior and inferior c. Lateral and medial d. Proximal and distal e. Superficial and deep f. Ventral and dorsal g. Palmar and plantar h. Apex
What does superior mean?
Near to the head
What does inferior mean?
Near the feet
What does lateral mean?
- Outer
- Body part that lie farther from the midline
What does medial mean?
- inner
- Body parts that lie closert to the midline
What does proximal mean?
closer to the trunk
what does distal mean?
farther away from the trunk / near to the free end of extremity
What does superficial mean?
means closer to or on the skin
