Medical Terminology 1 (word roots, prefixes, suffixes and combining forms) Flashcards
a-, an-
Absence or lack (acardia- lack of a heart); (anaerobic- in the absence of oxygen)
ab-
Departing from; away from (abnormal- departing from normal)
acou-
Hearing (acoustics- the science of sound)
ac-, acro-
Extreme or extremity; peak (acrodermatitis- inflammation of the skin of the extremities)
ad-
To or toward (adorbital- toward the orbit)
aden-, adeno-
Gland (adeniform- resembling a gland in shape)
adren-
Toward the kidney (adrenal gland- adjacent to the kidney)
aero-
Air (aerobic respiration, oxygen-requiring metabolism)
af-
Toward (afferent neurons, which carry impulses to the central nervous system)
agon-
Contest (agonistic and antagonistic muscles- which oppose each other)
alb-
White (corpus albicans of the ovary- a white scar tissue)
ailment-
Nourish (alimentary canal or digestive tract)
allel-
Of one another (alleles- alternative expression of a gene)
amphi-
On both sides; of both kinds (amphibian, an organism capable of living in water and on land)
ana-
Apart, up, again (anaphase of mitosis, when the chromosomes seperate)
anastomos-
Come together (arteriovenous anastomosis, a connection between an artery and a vein)
aneurysm
A widening (aortic aneurism, a weak spot that causes enlargement of the blood vessel)
angi-
Vessel (angiitis- inflammation of a lymph vessel or blood vessel)
angin-
Chocked (angina pectoris- a chocked feeling in the chest due to dysfunction of the heart)
ant-, anti-
Opposed to; preventing or inhibiting (anticoagulant, a substance that prevents blood coagulation)
ante-
Preceding; before (antecubital, in front of the elbow)
aort-
Great artery (aorta)
ap-, api-
Tip, extremity (apex of the heart)
append-
Hang to (appendiculars skeleton)
aqua-, aque-
Water (aqueous solutions)
arbor-
Tree (arbor vitae of the cerebellum, the treelike pattern of white matter)
areola-
Open space (areolar connective tissue, a loose connective tissue)
arrect-
Upright (arrector pili muscles of the skin, which make the hairs stand erect)
arthr-, arthro-
Joint (arthropathy, any joint disease)
artic-
Joint (articular surfaces of bones, the points of connection)
atri-
Vestibule atria, upper chambers of the heart
auscult-
Listen (auscultatory method for measuring blood pressure)
aut-, auto-
Self (autogenous, self- generated)
ax-, axi-, axo-
Axis, axle (axial skeleton, axis of vertebral column)
azyg-
Unpaired (azygous vein, an unpaired vessel)
baro-
Pressure (baroreceptors for monitoring blood pressure)
basal-
Base (basal lamina of epithelial basement membrane)
bi-
Two (bicuspid- having two cusps)
bili-
Bile (bilirubin- a bile pigment)
bio-
Life (biology- the study of life and living organisms)
blast-
Bud or germ (blastocyte- undifferentiated embryonic cell)
brachi-
Arm (brachial plexus of peripheral nervous system supplies the arm)
brady-
Slow (bradycardia- abnormally slow heart rate)
brev-
Short (peroneus brevis- a short leg muscle)
broncho-
Bronchus (bronchouspasm- spasmodic contraction of bronchial muscle)
bucco-
Cheek (buccolabial, pertaining to the cheek and lip)