TO MEDICAL

1
INTRODUCTION
TO MEDICAL
TERMINOLOGY
HM1(FMF) Deborah L. Reevey
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LEARNING GOALS

• Define prefix, root word, combining form and
  suffix.
• Identify at least forty of the most commonly
  used word parts.
• Identify the anatomical terms of position and
  direction

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PRONOUNCIATON
A new medical term is much easier to understand
and remember when you know how to pronounce it
properly.
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SPELLING IS IMPORTANT!
Although there may be more than one acceptable
way to pronounce a medical term, there is only
ONE acceptable spelling and accuracy is extremely
important!
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• PROSTATE (PROS-tayt) means gland surrounding the
  neck of the bladder and urethra in the male.
• PROSTRATE (PROS-trayt) meaning to collapse or be
  overcome with exhaustion.
• ABDUCTION- moving an extremity away from the
  body.
• ADDUCTION- moving an extremity toward the body.

• Changing just one or two letters can COMPLETELY
  change the meaning of a word and this difference
  can literally be a matter of life or death for
  the patient.

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WORD
PARTS
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Medical terms are made up of a combination of
three basic types of word parts
PRENATAL PRE-before or in front of NATAL-birth
PREFIX
A syllable, group of syllables, or a word joined
to the beginning of another word or base to alter
its meaning or create a new word.
TONSILLITIS TONSIL-describes a small mass of
lymph tissue ITIS-inflammation of
SUFFIX
A letter, syllable or group of syllables added to
the end of a word or base to change its meaning
or form a new word
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PANCREATITIS Pancre/atitis
inflammation of
ROOT WORD
Source, origin, or course of an action, quality
or condition
COMBINING FORMS

• CHOLECYSTITIS
• CHOLE- gall
• CYST- bladder
• ITIS- inflammation of
• Inflammation of the gall bladder.

A word that occurs only in compounds, or in
compounds and derivatives, and that can combine
with other such forms or with affixes to form a
word.
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SINGULAR AND PLURAL ENDINGS
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• Most of the medical terms for the bodies organs
  originated from Latin words, and most of the
  terms describing diseases that affect these
  organs originated from Greek words.

• When a term with an unusual singular or plural
  form is introduced, both will be included. For
  example, a phalanx (FAY-lanks) is one bone of the
  fingers or toes. (Plural phalanges)

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DETERMINING
WORD
MEANING
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To determine the
definition of a new word,
you must understand
the meaning
of each part.
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• For example, look at the word PERICARDECTOMY
• -The prefix PERI-means around
• -The combining form CARDI/O means heart
• -The suffix-ECTOMY means surgical removal

The resulting word is pericardectomy and it means
the surgical removal of a portion of the
pericardium. (The pericardium is the sack which
surrounds the heart.)
Another example would be APPENDECTOMY APPEND-
Appendix ECTOMY- Removal of
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COMMONLY USED PREFIXES
The following prefixes are used to change the
meaning of root words and medical terms.
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• A- without
• AB- away from
• AD- toward or direction of
• DYS- difficult, painful or bad
• INTER- between or among
• INTRA- within or inside
• SUB- under, less or below
• SUPER and SUPRA- above, excessive or beyond

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COMMONLY USED SUFFIXES
It is particularly important that you learn the
meaning of the following suffixes because they
are used in many medical terms.
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• OLOGY- the study of
• OMA- tumor or neoplasm
• OSIS- abnormal condition
• OSTOMY- surgically create an opening
• OTOMY- cutting or surgical incision
• PATHY- disease or suffering
• PLASTY- surgical repair
• RRAGE- bursting forth
• RREA- blow or discharge

• ALGIA- pain and suffering
• CENTESIS- surgical puncture to remove fluid
• ECTOMY- the surgical removal
• EMIA- blood or blood condition
• GRAPHY- is the process of recording a picture or
  record
• ITIS- inflammation

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ANATOMICAL POSITON
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ABDUCTION
MOVING AN EXTREMITY AWAY FROM THE BODY.
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ADDUCTION
BRING AN EXTREMITY TOWARD THE BODY.
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FLEXION
DECREASING THE ANGLE AT THE JOINT.
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EXTENSION
INCREASING THE ANGLE AT THE JOINT.
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SUPINATION
TURNING THE PALM UPWARD OR ANTERIORLY.
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PRONATION
TURNING THE PALM DOWNWARD OR POSTERIORLY.
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DORSIFLEXION
MOVING THE FOOT TO AN UPWARD POSITION.
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PLANTAR FLEXION
MOVING THE FOOT TO A DOWNWARD POSITION.
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INVERSION
MOVING THE SOLE OF THE FOOT INWARD.
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EVERSION
MOVING THE SOLE OF THE FOOT OUTWARD.
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FRONTAL (or coronal) separates the body into
Anterior and Posterior parts MEDIAN (or
midsagittal) separates body into Right and Left
parts HORIZONTAL (or transverse) separates the
body into Superior and Inferior parts SAGITTAL
any plane parallel to the median plane
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ANTERIOR
NEARER TO OR AT THE FRONT OF THE BODY.
NEARER TO OR AT THE BACK OF THE BODY.
POSTERIOR
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LATERAL
FURTHER AWAY FROM THE MIDLINE OF THE BODY
NEAR OR TOWARD THE MIDLINE OF THE BODY.
MEDIAL
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INFERIOR
LOWER THAN OR BELOW.
HIGHER THAN OR ABOVE.
SUPERIOR
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DISTAL
AWAY FROM THE POINT OF ORIGIN OR AWAY FROM THE
BODY.
NEAR THE POINT OF ORIGIN OR CLOSE TO THE BODY.
PROXIMAL
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CLOSE YOUR BOOKS!
EXERCISE
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A- means
without.
AB- means
away from.
AD- means
toward or in the direction of.
DYS- means
difficult, painful, or bad.
HYPER- means
over, above, increased.
HYPO- means
below, under or decreased.
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ECTOMY- means
the surgical removal
ERYTHR/O- means
redden or red
GASTR/O- means
pertaining to the stomach
HEM/O- means
pertaining to blood.
MY/O- means
pertaining to muscle.
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• __________________is a group of disorders
  characterized
• by abnormal hardening of the arteries.

ARTERIOSCLEROSIS

• _________________is the surgical removal of the
  tonsils.

TONSILLECTOMY

• The study of disease _____________

PATHOLOGY

• Surgical repair of the muscle_____________

_MYOPLASTY
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• Surgical removal of the uterus__________________

HYSTERECTOMY

• In the male, the_____________ gland surrounds the
  bladder and urethra.

PROSTATE

• _________________means to suture or stitch a
  divided nerve.

NEURORRHAPHY

• The removal of amniotic fluid for diagnostic
  purposes is called__________________

AMNIOCENTESIS
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THE
END