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
