1 MEDICAL TERMS

Root: The root is the foundation of the word. All medical terms have one or more

roots.

Suffix: The suffix is the word ending. All medical terms have a suffix.

Combining vowel: Usually ‘o’, it links the root to the suffix or the root to another

root. A combining vowel has no meaning of its own; it joins one word part to

another.

Electrocardiogram: Record of the electricity in the heart.

Hematology: Process of study of blood.

Prefix: The prefix is a small part that is attached to the beginning of a term. Not all

terms contain prefixes, but the prefix can have an important influence on the

meaning.

Combining form: Combination of the root and the combining vowel.

Subgastric: Pertaining to under the stomach.

Epigastric: Pertaining to above the stomach.

Adenoma: Tumor of a gland. The suffix –oma means tumor or mass.

Adenitis: The suffix –itis means, inflammation.

Biology: The suffix –logy is composed of the root log and the final suffix –y.

Carcinoma: A carcinoma is a cancerous tumor.

Cephalic: The suffix –ic means pertaining to. If an infant is born with the head

delivered first, it is a cephalic presentation.

Cerebral: The suffix –al means pertaining to. A cerebrovascular accident occurs

when damage to blood vessels in the cerebrum causes injury to nerve cells of the

brain. This condition is also called a stroke.

Incision: The prefix in- means into, and the suffix –ion means process.

Excision: The prefix ex- means out.

Endocrine glands: The prefix endo- means within; endocrine glands secrete

hormones directly within the bloodstream. Other glands, called exocrine glands,

secrete chemicals through tubes to the outside of the body.

Cystoscopy: The suffix –scopy means process of visual examination. Cystoscopy is

visual examination of the urinary bladder.

Hypodermic: The prefix hypo- means under, below.

Enteritis: It is inflammation of intestine.

Erythrocyte: The suffix –cyte means cell. Erythrocytes carry oxygen in the blood.

Gastrectomy: The suffix –ectomy means excision or removal. All or, more

commonly, part of the stomach is removed.

Gastrotomy: The suffix –tomy means incision or process of cutting.

Diagnosis: The prefix dia- means complete. The suffix –sis means state or condition

of. A diagnosis is made after sufficient information has been obtained about the

patient’s condition. Literally, it is a “state of complete knowledge”.

Prognosis: the prefix pro- means before. Literally “knowledge before”, a prognosis

is a prediction about the outcome of an illness, but it is always given after the

diagnosis has been determined.

Hematoma: In this term, -oma means a mass or collection of blood, rather than a

growth of cells (tumor). A hematoma forms when blood escapes from blood vessels

and collects as a clot in a cavity, organ or under the skin.

Hemoglobin: the suffix –globin means protein. Hemoglobin carries oxygen in red

blood cells.

Iatrogenic: The suffix –genic means pertaining to producing, produced by, or

produced in. Iatrogenic conditions are adverse side effects that result from treatment

or intervention by a physician.

Leukocyte: This blood cell helps the body to fight against disease.

Oncologist: The suffix –ist means, one who specializes in a field of medicine.

Oncologist is a person who specializes in study of tumor.

Ophthalmoscope: The suffix –scope means an instrument for visual examination.

Opthalmoscope is visual examination of eye.

Osteoarthritis: This condition is actually a degeneration of bones and joints that

occurs with aging. It often is accompanied by inflammation.

Pathologist: A pathologist examines biopsy samples microscopically and examines a

dead body to determine the cause of death.

Radiology: Low-energy x-rays are used for diagnostic imaging.

Renal: Ren/o and nephr/o means kidney.

Sarcoma: This is a cancerous tumor. A sarcoma grows from cells of “fleshy”

connective tissue such as muscle, bone and fat whereas a carcinoma grows from

epithelial cells that line the outside of the body or the inside of organs in the body.

Resection: the prefix re- means back. A resection is a cutting back in the sense of

cutting out or removal. A gastric resection is a gastrectomy, or resection of the

stomach.

Thrombocyte: Also known as platelets, these cells help clot blood. A thrombus is

the actual clot that forms, and thrombosis is the condition of clot formation.

Urology: An urologist is a surgeon who operates on the organs of the urinary tract

and the organs of the male reproductive system.

Leukemia: Literally, this term means “a blood condition of white”. Actually, it is a

condition of blood in which cancerous white blood cells proliferate.

Carcinogenic: Pertaining to produce cancer, Cigarette smoking is carcinogenic.

Pathogenic: A virus or a bacterium is a pathogenic organism.

Hepatoma: A Hepatoma is a malignant tumor of the liver.

Leukocytosis: This condition, a slight increase in normal white blood cells, occurs as

white blood cells multiply to fight an infection.

Anemia: Anemia is a decreased number of erythrocytes or an abnormality of the

hemoglobin within the red blood cells. This results in decreased delivery of oxygen to

cells of the body. Anemic patients look so pale that early physicians thought they

were literally “without blood”.

Autopsy: This term literally means “process of viewing by oneself”. Hence, an

autopsy is the examination of a dead body with one’s own eye to determine the

cause of the death and nature of disease.

Pericardium: the suffix –um means a structure. The pericardium is the membrane

that surrounds the heart.

Hyperthyroidism: The suffix –ism means process or condition.Hyperthyroidism

means increased production of thyroid hormone by thyroid gland.

Epidermis: this outermost layer of skin lies above the middle layer of skin, known

as the dermis.