Vocabulary Flashcards
Which of the following words does NOT have a similar meaning to ABRUPT?
a) unforeseen b) sudden c) predictable d) unanticipated
c) predictable
Unforeseen, sudden, and unanticipated all point to something that you did not expect.
ABRUPTcan refer to an event or change that you did not see coming.
Which group of words represents synonyms of ABSTAIN, and which group represents antonyms of ABSTAIN?
- abjure, eschew, forgo, refrain
- succumb, acquiesce
Synonyms of ABSTAIN:
abjure(She abjured some long-held beliefs when she converted to a new faith.)
eschew(The young doctor eschewed, or shunned, the archaic methods of previous generations.)
forgo(Lindsey decided to forgo shopping in order to save money for her next semester.)
refrain(Mark refrains from smoking around his mother because she is sensitive to second-hand smoke.)
Antonyms of ABSTAIN:
succumb(Jerry succumbed to his wife’s pressure and gave up his favorite stinky armchair.)
acquiesce(Because I do not care about which Power Ranger is the best, I will acquiesce to your opinion.)
If you have ACCESS to something, which of the following do you also have? (Look for a synonym.)
a) dismissal b) expulsion c) ouster d) admittance
d) admittance
Dismissal, expulsion, and ousterall refer to throwing something out, NOT to letting something in. Admittanceand ACCESSboth refer to the ability to enter into something.
Which group of words represents synonyms of ACCOUNTABLE, and which group represents antonyms of ACCOUNTABLE?
- immune, exempt
- amenable, liable, obliged
Synonyms of ACCOUNTABLE:
b) amenable(Rosa knew that she had to be amenable to the rules at work, just as her children had to obey her directions at home.)
c) liable(Alice knew that she would be liable for the damage she caused when she threw limes at Bill’s new car.)
e) obliged(Because I am your doctor, I feel obliged to tell you that you should stop smoking cigars in bed.)
Antonyms of ACCOUNTABLE:
a) immune(Clearly, Sarahi was immune to the feelings of others when she emptied the barrel of plastic monkeys onto the ground.)
d) exempt(Since Pedro passed the diagnostic test, he was exempt from taking the follow-up test.)
Which of the following words have nearly the same meaning as ADHERE?
a) bind b) loosen c) cling d) fuse
All of the words except loosenhave nearly the same meaning as ADHERE.
Synonyms of ADHERE:
bind/bound (The bandage should survive the tennis match if it has been bound well.)
cling(It’s already the third round, and the bandage is still clinging to the player’s knee.)
fuse(In fact, the bandage is on so tightly, I believe it might be fused to the player’s skin!)
When something is ADVERSE, is it a good or bad thing?
Which group of words represents synonyms of ADVERSE, and which group represents antonyms of ADVERSE?
- baleful, nocuous, deleterious
- innocuous, salubrious
Synonyms of ADVERSE:
a) baleful(The baleful effects of the hurricane could be observed in every pocket of the city.)
b) nocuous(Walking by the laboratory door, Sheila caught a whiff of nocuous fumes, so she ran for help.)
d) deleterious(Some say that eating too many cookies can have a deleterious effect on one’s waistline, slowly expanding it over time.)
Antonyms of ADVERSE:
c) innocuous(Some materials have to be carefully disposed as hazardous waste, while others can simply be thrown out with all of the other innocuous waste.)
e) salubrious(Some say that eating salads with broccoli every day can have a salubrious effect on one’s health.)
What does AFFECT mean in a medical context?
(Think about using this word as a noun, not a verb.)
AFFECTcan mean a person’s mood, or the emotions that the person seems to be exhibiting.
Look for AFFECT to show up in terms like
- blunted affect
- constricted affect
- flat affect
- inappropriate affect
- labile affect
- restricted affect
Each of these terms describes a kind of mood or emotional state that a patient might show.
A patient has a FLAT AFFECT.
Describe what that looks like.
The patient shows little or no emotion, even in situations that usually make people show emotion.
A patient has a CONSTRICTED or RESTRICTED AFFECT.
Describe what that looks like.
The patient might show some emotional response, but not as much as should normally be expected.
Emotions are muted, but neither strong nor completely absent.
How often does an ANNUAL event occur?
ANNUALrefers to something that happens once every year.
A related term is per annum, which also means something that happens on a yearly basis.
How do these words relate to APPLY?
a) daub b) plaster c) smear d) slather
All of these words are nearly synonyms of APPLY.
a) daub(Debbie daubed the perfume lightly on her wrist.)
b) plaster(I told Patty to spread the icing lightly on the cake, but she plastered icing over the whole thing!)
c) smear(Bertha took her mother’s lipstick and smeared it across the bathroom mirror.)
d) slather(I knew Phil wasn’t worried about his cholesterol when he slathered his pancakes with butter.)
If something is AUDIBLE, which of the five senses do you use to experience it?
What clue within the word’s spelling can help you remember its meaning?
When something is AUDIBLE, this means that you can hear it. You might hear an audible sigh, an audible breath, or any audible sound. This means that AUDIBLE applies to both loud and quiet sounds.
Your clue within the spelling is “AUD.” What other words include that root?
- Audio-visual
- Audience
- Auditory
Relate these words into a family of terms that have to do with HEARING.
What word parts in BILATERAL can help you understand its meaning?
BI= “two.” Think about a bicycle. How many wheels does it have? Two!
LAT= think about latitude. It goes from east to west, side to side, all the way around the globe.
BILATERALdescribes something that is happening on two sides of the body.
Which of the following definitions match the meaning of CARDIAC?
a) acting on the heart
b) related to the heart
c) situated near the heart
d) related to heart disease
e) related to the cardia of the stomach
How many medical definitions of CAST do you know?
Here are a few medical definitions of CAST…
1) The most common usage: a rigid casing used to protect a damaged or diseased part
2) Another common usage: an impression taken of an object using a liquid or plastic substance
3) A less common usage: a mass of plastic matter formed in cavities of diseased organs (like the kidneys) and discharged from the body
4) An even less common usage: a slight strabismus. Not sure what a strabismus is? It’s when both eyes cannot look in the same direction at the same time. You may know this condition as cross-eyes or wall-eyes.
How would you define a CAVITY?
A CAVITYrefers to any unfilled space within something. It’s a hole, an empty space.
HINT: Think of words like cave and cavern to remember that CAVITY refers to an empty space.
Which of these words matches the meaning of CEASE?
a) continue
b) conclude
Concludematches the meaning of CEASE. Other related words are _dis_continue, stop, elapse, expire, lapse, and terminate.
CEASE also means that something ends gradually. Think about the “ease” in the spelling of “cease” - it can remind you that something which CEASES has ended gradually.
Continue is an antonym of CEASE.
Describe a situation in which you would want a COMPENSATORY action to occur.
COMPENSATORYdescribes something that replaces or makes up for something that has been lost.
Therefore, you would want a COMPENSATORY action to occur whenever something is lost.
Related verb: compensate
Example: The nurse’s kind behavior compensated for the doctor’s indifferent attitude.
Is a COMPLICATION a good thing or a bad thing?
And how are these words related to COMPLICATION?
a) aftereffect b) ramification c) side effect
COMPLICATIONStend to be bad things. They might involve secondary diseases, conditions, or effects during or after a primary condition is being treated.
Aftereffect, ramification, and side effect are all near synonyms of COMPLICATION.
Words like COMPLICATION, ramification, and implicationall refer to aftereffects or conclusions that can be drawn from a situation that already exists.
When you are asked to COMPLY, what are you really being asked to do?
Which group of words represents synonyms of CONCAVE, and which group represents antonyms of CONCAVE?
- protruding, bulging
- hollow, recessed, depressed
Which set of words represents synonyms of CONCISE and which represents antonyms?
- aphoristic, compendious, succinct, terse
- circumlocutory, diffuse, prolix, verbose
Group 1 represents synonyms of CONCISE. Aphoristic, compendious, succinct, and terseall basically mean brief, not wordy.
Group 2 represents antonyms of CONCISE. Circumlocutory, diffuse, prolix, and verboseall refer to excessive wordiness!
When talking about the CONSISTENCY of a fluid, what do the following expressions mean?
a) high level of viscosity
b) low level of viscosity
c) very viscid
d) not very viscid
CONSISTENCYrefers to how thick or thin a liquid is. You should be comfortable using the terms viscosityand viscidityto describe CONSISTENCY.
a) high level of viscosity= THICK
b) low level of viscosity= THIN
c) very viscid= THICK, STICKY
d) not very viscid= THIN, LESS STICKY
What does it mean to CONSTRICT something?
CONSTRICTmeans to draw something together, to tighten it, to squeeze it, or otherwise make it smaller or narrower.
If what you want is CONTINGENT upon something else, what does that mean?
It means that what you want depends on something else to happen.
Examples:
- Good health is CONTINGENTupon exercise and proper diet.
- For many students, good grades are CONTINGENT upon many hours of study and countless cups of caffeine!
You are asked to describe the CONTOUR of an object. What will you look at to do so?
CONTOURrefers to the outline, edge, or silhouetteof a shape, so you would look at the general shape of the outline of the object.
How many medical definitions of CONTRACT (as a verb) do you know?
Here are a few…
1) CONTRACTcan mean basically the same thing as CONSTRICT- to draw something together, making it smaller, tighter, or narrower.
2) CONTRACT also has a specific meaning in relation to muscles. Muscles CONTRACT when they are drawn together, making them shorter and thicker.
3) It can also be used to mean that a person catches a disease: “She CONTRACTED the flu while working with sneezing pre-schoolers at the daycare.”
If you know of a CONTRAINDICATION to a particular action, should you do it or not?
No!
CONTRAINDICATIONSare _reasons why something should not be done_.
Medicines will often come with CONTRAINDICATIONS that should alert people with certain conditions to not take the medicine. CONTRAINDICATIONS may also prevent people from performing certain actions, using different treatments, or making various decisions.
Think about the word contradictoryas a hint. (When I see something that condradicts what I know, I stop!)
Is a DEFICIT a good thing or a bad thing?
Which of these words are similar in meaning to DEFICIT?
a) dearth b) amplitude c) shortage d) sufficiency e) scarcity
Since DEFICITmeans to lack something, it is generally not a good thing.
Dearth, shortage, and scarcityall relate to DEFICIT because they also mean to be lacking in something. You can have a DEFICIT in almost anything, from money to fluids to oxygen to time.
Amplitudeindicates an excessive amount of something, or plenty of it. Sufficiencyimplies you have a little less than an amplitude, but suffiency does mean that you have enough of something.
What is the meaning of DEFECATE?
How many definitions of DEPRESS can you think of that relate to the medical field?
DEPRESScan have any of these 3 meanings:
- to press something down - Slowly DEPRESS the red button to release the wild wallabies from their pen!
- to lessen the strength or activity of something - Giving the children caffeine did not DEPRESS their energy; it only amplified it!
- to lower someone’s spirit or mood - When the children released the wild wallabies from their pen, the zoo keepers were noticeably DEPRESSED.
DEPTH can have both a physical meaning and a symbolic meaning. Do you know them both?
DEPTH can refer to the physical distance between the top and bottom or dorsal and ventral sidesof an object.
DEPTHcan also refer symbolically to the extent or intensity of something. Examples:
- What is the DEPTH of the patient’s comprehension?
- As proven by her expansive collection of Star Trek memorabilia, Kate’s DEPTH of loyalty to the show was without equal.
One group of words has synonyms of DETERIORATING, while the other has antonyms. Which is which?
- intensifying, strengthening, bettering, heightening
- atrophying, degenerating, devolving, ebbing
Group 2 represents near synonyms of DETERIORATING. These words indicate that something is getting worse, falling apart, or breaking down.
Group 1 represents near antonyms of DETERIORATING. These words indicate growth, progress, good things!
How would you explain what a DEVICE is to a small child?
You could say that a DEVICEis anything you can hold in your hand that can be used to do a job. Tools, machines, and inventions of all sorts fall into the category of DEVICES.
DEVICES usually each have their own specific purpose.
How is a DIAGNOSIS made?
What is the difference between a DIAGNOSIS and a prognosis?
A DIAGNOSIS is made by looking at signs and symptoms that a patient is showing and then drawing a conclusion. When a disease or condition has been identified, a DIAGNOSIS has been made.
The DIAGNOSIS is the initial identification of disease. The prognosis is the forecast for the future, how the patient might fare with or without future treatment.
If you are asked to find the DIAMETER of an object, what should you look for?
The DIAMETERof an object is the distance of the line that passes from one side to the other, directly through the center of the object.
For example, the DIAMETER of the pizza in the picture could be expressed as “7 pepperonis in diameter.”
When an object DILATES or is DILATED, what does that mean?
DILATEmeans to expand, stretch, or enlarge. You’ll hear about DILATION especially in relation to the pupil of the eye, the cervix of a pregnant woman, and the opening of blood vessels.
Can you tell which eye in this picture is DILATED? It’s the one that is showing more black and less color.
If you are DILUTING a substance, which of the following lists matches what you are doing?
- richening, fortifying, strengthening
- weakening, watering down, thinning
Since DILUTEmeans to thin down a liquid, list 2 best matches that meaning.
Weakening, watering down, and thinning are all synonyms of DILUTING.
Richening, fortifying, and strengthening are all near antonyms of DILUTING.
In the image below, the darkest liquid is the most concentrated, but the lightest liquid is the most DILUTED.
If you describe something as DISCRETE, what does that mean?
How does an object come to be DISTENDED?
Is DYSFUNCTION (or DISFUNCTION) a good thing or a bad thing?
To what situations could you apply the term DYSFUNCTION?
DYSFUNCTIONrefers to functioning that is impairedor abnormal, so it is not a good thing.
You could apply the term physically to body systems that are not working as they should, or psychologically to relationships that are abnormal or unhealthy.
What are you doing when you ELEVATE something?
When you ELEVATEsomething, you are making it higher, lifting it up, or raising its intensity (as in the case of ELEVATED blood pressure or heart rate).
Think about the related word elevator - you use it to go to higher places!
If something is ENDOGENOUS, where does it come from?
ENDOGENOUSthings come from the inside of the body.
Chemicals and hormones that the body produces itself are considered ENDOGENOUS.
Also, depression that is caused from internal factors is called ENDOGENOUS depression.
When you EXACERBATE a problem, which of the following lists describes what you are doing?
- aggravate, complicate, worsen
- allay, alleviate, assuage, mitigate
List 1 best matches the meaning of EXACERBATE, which means to make something worse.
- For example, second-hand smoke can EXACERBATE existing breathing problems.
Aggravate, complicate, and worsenare synonyms of EXACERBATE.
Allay, alleviate, assuage, and mitigateare antonyms of EXACERBATE, and they all mean to improve the condition of something.
If you have an EXCESS, which of the lists below describes what you have?
- deficiency, deficit, undersupply, dearth
- plethora, bounty, profusion, surfeit
Since an EXCESSrefers to an abundance, an oversupply, or anything in extra measure, the synonyms of EXCESS in list 2 best match its meaning: plethora, bounty, profusion, and surfeit.
Deficiency, deficit, undersupply, and dearthare all near antonyms of EXCESS, and they refer to the lack of something.
If something is EXOGENOUS, where did it come from?
EXOGENOUSthings are produced from outside of the body.
Factors that come from life, outside of a patient’s mind, could cause EXOGENOUS depression.
Also, diabetic patients whose bodies cannot produce enough insulin might be treated with EXOGENOUS forms of insulin.
Describe what it means to EXPAND something.
How are amplify and dilate related to EXPAND?
What is EXPOSURE?
Where are EXTERNAL things found?
If something is FATAL, what does that mean?
What is FATIGUE?
FATIGUEis extreme exhaustion or weariness. When a person is FATIGUED, he or she does not have the power to respond at normal strength.
Here are a few other related words you might want to know: lassitude, prostration, and burnout.
When an object or organ is FLACCID, what does that mean?
What does a FLUSHED appearance look like?
You hear something described as GAPING. What does it look like?
GAPINGis an adjective that means wide open.
Big holes in the ground or the body (like large wounds!) can be described as GAPING.
What parts of the body do GASTROINTESTINAL things affect?
How would you define GENDER?
If something is described as HEMATOLOGIC, to what does it relate?
Describe HYDRATION as if you were explaining it to a five-year-old child.
HYDRATIONmeans keeping enough water in your body.
HYDRATION can also refer to treatments that introduce more fluid to the body’s tissues.
To what does HYGIENE refer?
HYGIENErefers to actions and practices that promote good health and cleanliness.
If a person is IMPAIRED in any way, what does that mean?
A person can be IMPAIREDif he or she has reduced ability to see, hear, move, or speak (e.g., hearing-impaired, visually-impaired).
A person can also be called IMPAIRED if he or she is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
If an event is IMPENDING, when will it happen?
How would you explain what INCIDENCE means to a five-year-old child?
INCIDENCEis simply something that happens.
It can also refer to the rate at which an event occurs, similar to prevalence. For example, the image below shows a map of the prevalence of coronary heart disease in the USA.
How would you explain the meaning of INFECTION?
An INFECTIONcan occur when a foreign pathogen enters, invades, or contaminatesa body, causing harm to the body’s systems.
If a body part is INFLAMED, what does it look like?
When you INGEST something, what are you doing?
INGESTINGoccurs when you take in food, liquid, or anything else through your mouth so that it will be digested.
That means that INGEST is a fancy way to say eat and drink.
