Medical Terminology Chapters 1-3

Rules for making words plural: 1. -a 2. -ax 3. -en 4. -is 5. -ix 6. -ex 7. -ma 8. -on 9. -um 10. -us 11. -y

1. retain a and add e 2. drop x and add ces 3. drop en and add ima 4. drop is add es 5. drop ix add ices 6. drop ex add ices 7. drop ma add ta 8. drop on add a 9. drop um add a 10. drop us add i 11. drop y add ies

Name the 4 word elements

Word root, combining form, suffix, prefix

A combining form (root + o) links a suffix that begins with

a consonant

A prefix usually indicates:

a number, time, position, or negation

A suffix usually indicates:

a procedure, condition, disease, or part of speech

A root word links a suffix that begins with

a vowel

-osis

abnormal condition

-duction

act of leading, bringing, conducting

post-

after

A combining form (root + o) links a root to

another root, forming a compound word, even if the next root begins with a vowel

circum-, peri-

around

peri-

around

anteri/o

artery

dors/o

back

poster/o

back, behind

dys-

bad, painful, difficult

pre-

before, in front of

ventr/o

belly, belly side

infer/o

below or lower

-desis

binding, fixation (of a bone or joint)

nat

birth

hem/o

blood

thromb/o

blood clot

cyan

blue

mast/o

breast

-rrhage, -rrhagia

bursting forth (of)

chondr/0

cartilage

chondr/o

cartilage

-cyte

cell

cyst/0

cell

-ia

condition

-tripsy

crushing

-penia

decrease; deficiency

-rrhea

discharge, flow

-pathy

disease

dipl-, diplo-

double

-megaly

enlargement

-ectomy

excision, removal

dist/o

farthest

-phobia

fear

-esthesia

feeling

primi-

first

-pexy

fixation (of an organ)

-plasia

formation, growth

-stomy

forming an opening

anter/o

front

endo-, intra-

in, within

intra-

in, within

-tomy

incision

-itis

inflammation

-scope

instrument for examining

-tome

instrument to cut

enter/o

intestine (usually small)

gnosis-

knowing

hepat/o

liver

men/o

menses, menstruation

medi/o

middle

my/o

muscle

-stenosis

narrowing, stricture

proxim/o

near, nearest

rhin/o

nose

-trophy

nourishment, development

nucle

nucleus

nucle/o

nucleus

mono-, uni-

one

hemi

one half

-er

one who

-plegia

paralysis

-al

pertaining to

-ic

pertaining to

-ior

pertaining to

-toxic

poison

-gravida

pregnant woman

erythr/o

red

-rrhexis

repture

homo-, homeo-

same

-crine

secrete

-lysis

separation; destruction; loosening

later/o

side

-malacia

softening

-ist

specialist

-logist

specialist in the study of

lith/o

stone, calculus

-logy

study of

-centesis

surgical puncture

-plasty

surgical repair

-rrhaphy

suture

caud/o

tail

odont

teeth

dia-

through, across

hist/o

tissue

-ad

toward

trache/o

trachea (windpipe)

-graft

transplantation

-oma

tumor

-version

turning

super-

uppde, above

super/o

upper, above

-opia

vision