Med Term Answers Part 1

Why is medical language necessary? 1) allows health care professionals to be clear 2) allows health care professionals to communicate quickly 3) allows health care professionals to comfort patients Medical language is made up primarily, but not exclusively, of words taken from two ancient languages: Greek and Latin What are three reasons why medical language mostly made up of Greek and Latin? 1) the foundations of western medicine were in ancient Greece and Rome 2) Latin was the global language of the scientific revolution 3) dead languages don't change Three other sources of medical language include: eponyms, acronyms, and modern languages Definition and example of an eponym epi (upon) + onyma (name) = "to put your name on something" like Lou Gehrig's disease Definition and example of an acronym acro (high, end) + onyma (name) = "to make a name with the ends" like MRI For the sake of emphasis, the only syllables that you need to focus on are the last _____ syllables of a word three; starting at the end of the word count back three syllables the last syllable is called the ultima (last) the second to last syllable is called the penult (almost the last) ; pen- (almost) + ultima (last) the third to last syllable is called the antepenult (the one before the one that is almost the last) ; ante- (before) + pen- (almost) + ultima (last) the language of medicine is made up of three main building blocks: 1) roots: foundation or subject of the term 2) suffix: ending that gives essential meaning to the term 3) prefix: added to the beginning of a term when needed to further modify the root arthr/o AR-throh joint; arthroscope, arthritis cardi/o KAR-dee-oh heart; cardiology, pericardium enter/o EN-ter-oh small intestine; enteropathy, dysentery gastr/o GAS-tro stomach; gastrointestinal, gastritis hepat/o he-PAH-toh liver; hepatology, hepatitis neur/o NUR-oh nerve; neurology, neuralgia hem/o HEE-moh blood; hemorrhage hemat/o heh-MAH-toh blood; hematoma my/o MAI-oh muscle; myocardial, myalgia muscul/o MUS-kyoo-loh muscle; musculoskeletal angi/o AN-gee-oh vessel; angioplasty, angiectomy vas/o VAS-oh vessel; vasospasm, vasectomy vascul/o VAS-kyoo-loh vessel; vasculopathy, vasculitis derm/o DER-moh skin; dermoscopy, dermis dermat/o der-MAT-oh skin; dermatology, dermatitis cutane/o kyoo-TAY-nee-oh skin; subcutaneous pneum/o NOO-moh lung; pneumotomy pneumon/o noo-MAW-noh lung; pneumonia pulmon/o PUL-maw-noh lung; pulmonologist, cardiopulmonary gen/o JIN-oh creation, cause; pathogenic hydr/o HAI-droh water; hydrophobia morph/o MOR-foh change; morphology myc/o MAI-koh fungus; dermatomycosis necr/o NEK-roh death; necrosis orth/o OR-thoh straight; orthodontist path/o PAH-thoh suffering, disease; pathology phag/o FAY-goh eat ; aphagia plas/o PLAS-oh formation; hyperplasia py/o PAI-oh pus ; pyorrhea, pyemia scler/o SKLEH-roh hard; scleroderma sten/o STIH-noh narrowing; stenosis troph/o TROH-foh nourishment, development; tropology, hypertrophy xen/o ZEE-noh foreign; xenograft suffixes that mean "pertaining to" -ac (cardiac) -al (skeletal) -ar (muscular) -ary (pulmonary) -eal (esophageal) -ic (medic) -tic (neurotic) -ous (subcutaneous) -ia (pneumonia) -ism (autism) condition -ium (pericardium) tissue, structure -y (hypertrophy) condition, proceedure diminutive suffixes (means "small") -icle (ventricle) -ole (arteriole) -ule (pustule) -ula (uvula) -iatrics (pediatrics) ee-AH-triks medical science -iatry (psychiatry) AI-ah-tree medical science -iatrist (psychiatrist) EE-ah-trist specialist in medicine of -ist (dentist) ist specialist -logist (psychologist) loh-jist specialist in the study of -logy (psychology) loh-jee study of -algia (myalgia) AL-jah pain -dynia (gastrodynia) DAI-nee-ah pain -cele (hydrocele) SEEL hernia (a bulging of tissue into an area where it doesn't belong) -emia (leukemia) EE-mee-ah blood condition -iasis (lithiasis) AI-ah-sis presence of -itis (arthritis) AI-tis inflammation -lysis (hemolysis) lih-sis loosen, break down -malacia (osteomalacia) mah-LAY-shah abnormal softening -megaly (hepatomegaly) MEH-gah-lee enlargement -oid (keloid) OYD resembling -oma (melanoma) OH-mah tumor -osis (thrombosis) OH-sis condition -pathy (myopathy) pah-thee disease -penia (leukopenia) PEE-nee-ah deficiency -ptosis (nephroptosis) puh-TOH-sis drooping -rrhage (hemorrhage) -rrhagia (menorrhagia) RIJ RAY-jee-ah excessive flow -rrhea (diarrhea) REE-ah flow -rrhexis (metrorrhexis) REK-sis rupture -spasm (myospasm) SPAZ-um involuntary contraction -centesis (aminocentesis) sin-TEE-sis puncture -gram (cardiogram) gram written record -graph (cardiograph) graf instrument used to produce a record -graphy (cardiography) grah-fee writing procedure -meter (cephalometer) mee-ter instrument used to measure -metry (cephalometry) meh-tree process of measuring -scope (arthroscopy) skohp instrument used to look -scopy (arthroscopy) skoh-pee process of looking -desis (arthrodesis) DEE-sis binding, fixation -ectomy (vasectomy) EK-toh-mee removal -pexy (retinopexy) PEK-see surgical fixation -plasty (rhinoplasty) PLAS-tee reconstruction -rrhaphy (herniorrhaphy) rah-fee suture -stomy (colostomy) stoh-mee creation on an opening -tomy (dermotomy) toh-mee incision a- (aphasia) ay an- (anemia) an not anti- (antibiotics) AN-tee contra- (contraceptive) KON-trah against de- (dehydration) dee down, away from ante- (antepartum) an-tee before pre- (precondition) pree before pro- (probiotic) proh beofre, on behalf of brady- (bradycardia) brah-dih slow tachy- (tachycardia) tak-ih fast post- (postpartum) pohst after re- (rehabilitation) ree again ab- (abduct) ab away ad- (adrenaline) ad toward circum- (circumcision) sir-kum peri- (pericardium) per-ee around dia- (diagnostic) dia-ah through trans- (translate) tranz through e- (evoke) ec- (ectopic) ex- (exhale) out ecto- (ectoderm) exo- (exoskeleton) extraoutside en- (enema) endo- (endocrine) intra- (intravenous) in, inside epi- (epididymis) eh-pee upon sub- (subcutaneous) sub beneath inter- (intercostal) in-ter between bi- (bilateral) bai two hemi- (hemiplegia) heh-mee half semi- (semilunar) seh-mee half hyper- (hyperthermia) hai-per over hypo- (hypothermia) hai-poh under macro- (macrotia) mak-roh large micro- (microdontia) mai-kroh small mono- (monocyte) maw-noh uni- (unisex) yoo-nee one oligo- (oligomenorrhea) aw-lih-goh few pan- (pancytopenia) all poly- (polygraph) pawlee multi- (multicellular) mul-tee many con- (congestion) with, together