A SHORT COURSE IN MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY, SECOND EDITION
ix
USER’S GUIDE
A Short Course in Medical Terminology, Second Edition was developed to provide you with an easy,
efficient, and effective way to study medical terminology. The tools and features in the text and
ancillaries will help you work through the material presented. This User’s Guide will introduce
you to the features of the book that will enhance your learning experience.
A logical organization guides you through the basics of medical terminology, word elements, and word analysis.
PART ONE
INTRODUCTION
TO MEDICAL
TERMINOLOGY
1
Analyzing Medical Terms
2
Common Suffixes and Prefixes
Part One: Introduction to Medial
Terminology introduces the basics
of word building and sets the foundation for learning words relative to
the body systems and beyond.
PART TWO
BODY SYSTEMS
Part Two: Body Systems offers an
overview of each system, briefly describes and identifies the structure and
function of that system, and introduces terms naming common abnormal
conditions, along with those related
to their diagnosis and treatment.
3
The Body’s Organization
4
The Integumentary System
5
The Skeletal System
6
The Muscular System
7
The Nervous System
8
The Endocrine System
9
The Cardiovascular System
10
The Lymphatic System and Immunity
11
The Respiratory System
12
The Digestive System
13
The Urinary System
14
The Reproductive System
15
The Special Senses of Sight and Hearing
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USER’S GUIDE
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to:
• Distinguish among the three elements of medical terms: root, suffix, and
prefix.
• Describe how medical terms are divided into word elements.
• Explain what the phrase combining form means.
• State the rules for determining singular and plural endings.
• Recognize the importance of proper spelling and pronunciation of
medical terms.
Learning Objectives
open each chapter
and identify the
points that you can
expect to learn and
understand by the
end of the chapter.
• Define the commonly used roots, suffixes, and prefixes introduced in this
chapter.
Word Elements • Integumentary System
WORD ELEMENT
Word Elements specific
to each body system are
presented in table format early
in the chapter.
1 Chemical level
MEANING
EXAMPLE
albin/o
white
albinism
cirrh/o, jaund/o, xanth/o
yellow
cirrhosis, jaundice, xanthoderma
cutane/o
skin
cutaneous
cyan/o
blue
cyanosis
-cyte, cyt/o
cell
melanocyte
derm/o, dermat/o
skin
dermatitis
epi-
upon
epidermal
erythr/o
red
erythema
ichthy/o
dry, scaly (fish-like)
ichthyosis
kerat/o
horn-like
keratosis
leuk/o
white
leukoderma
melan/o
black
melanoma
myc/o
fungus
dermatomycosis
onych/o
nail
onychophagia
pil/o
hair
pilonidal
scler/o
hardening
scleroderma
seb/o
sebum
seborrhea
sub-
below
subcutaneous
sudor/i
sweat
sudoriferous
xer/o
dry
xeroderma
2 Cellular level
Molecule (DNA)
Cardiac muscle cell
3 Tissue level
Heart
Aorta
Atoms
Inferior
vena cava
Cardiac tissue
4 Organ level
6 Organism level
5 System level
Heart
Circulatory system
Full-color Illustrations throughout the
book help to illustrate harder subject
areas and aid the visual learner.
USER’S GUIDE
Word Sense feature
highlights facts about medical
terms.
xi
The medical phrase for floating ribs is costae fluctuantes. Since rib pairs 8, 9, and
10, together with the “floating ribs” 11 and 12, are sometimes collectively called false
ribs or costae spuriae, it follows that the first seven pairs of ribs are costae verae (“true
ribs”). If you know the English words fluctuate, spurious, and verify, you can associate
them with the three terms above as a help in remembering them. If you are unfamiliar
with those English words, you might want to look them up in a good dictionary and make
them part of your general vocabulary.
Abbreviation Table • The Skeletal System
ABBREVIATION
MEANING
ACL
anterior cruciate ligament
C (C1, C2, etc.)
cervical
CT
computed tomography
CTS
carpal tunnel syndrome
Fx
fracture
L (L1, L2, etc.)
lumbar
LE
lower extremity
RA
rheumatoid arthritis
ROM
range of motion
S
sacral
T
thoracic
THR
total hip replacement
TKA
total knee arthroplasty
TKR
total knee replacement
Tx
traction
Abbreviations Tables include
the most common abbreviations
and their meanings for each body
system.
Study Table • Common Suffixes
Study Tables provide a
summary of chapter terms for
reinforcement of the material in an
easy-to-reference format.
SUFFIX
MEANING
EXAMPLE
-ac, -al, -an, -aneous,
-ar, -ary, -eal, -eous, -iac,
-iatric, -ic, -ical, -oid,
-otic, -ous, -tic, -ular
converts a root or a noun
term to an adjective
atrial, cardiac, ureteral
geriatric, orthopedic, ocular,
dental, cutaneous, cyanotic,
-cele
protrusion, hernia
rectocele
-centesis
surgical puncture
thoracentesis
-cyte
cell
leukocyte
-desis
surgical binding
arthrodesis
-dynia, -algia
pain
arthrodynia
-ectasis, -ectasia
expansion or dilation
angiectasis
-ectomy
surgical removal
appendectomy
-edema
excessive fluid in
intracellular tissues
angioedema
-emesis
vomiting
hematemesis
-emia
blood
uremia
-gen, -genic, -genesis
origin, producing
osteogenic
-gram
written or pictorial record
electrocardiogram
-graph
device for graphic or
pictorial recording
electrocardiograph
-graphy
act of graphic or pictorial
recording
electrocardiography
-ian, -iatrist, -ist, -logist,
-logy, -ics, -iatry, -iatrics
specialty of, study of,
practice of
geriatrist, pediatrician,
gynecology
-iasis
a suffix used to convert a
verb to a noun indicating
a condition
cholelithiasis
-ism
a condition of; a process;
or a state of
dwarfism, gigantism
appendicitis
-itis
inflammation
-lith
stone, calculus, calcification
pneumolith
-lysis
disintegration
hemolysis
-malacia
softening
osteomalacia
-megaly
enlargement
gastromegaly
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USER’S GUIDE
10
PART ONE • INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY
EXERCISE 1-2
Combining Roots and Suffixes
Combine the suffixes -logy, -itis, -algia, -dynia, -path/y, and -derm with as many of
the roots below as you can. Try to find at least one appropriate root for each suffix
and write the resulting words in the “Word” column. Then write a brief definition
in the “Meaning” column for each of your choices. You may use as many combinations as you think are appropriate.
ROOT
Chapter Exercises, including matching,
crossword puzzles, word building, fill-inthe-blank, spelling, true/false, case studies,
and figure labeling, help reinforce the content you’ve learned and help you retain the
chapter’s most important information.
SUFFIX
WORD
MEANING
1. psych/o
_____
___________
2. path/o
_____
___________
_________________________
Match the numbers in Column 1 with the letters in Column 2 according to the
corresponding terms and definitions they designate.
_________________________
3. cardi/o
_____
___________
1. _____ -itis
_________________________
4. hem/o, hemat/o
_____
___________
2. _____ neur/o
_________________________
B. A root meaning “stomach”
5. derm/o, dermat/o
_____
___________
3. _____ -algia
_________________________
C. A root meaning “skin”
6. arthr/o
_____
___________
4. _____ -logy
_________________________
D. A suffix meaning “the study of”
7. neur/o
_____
___________
5. _____ hemat/o
_________________________
E. A root referring to the mind
8. oste/o
_____
___________
6. _____ gastr/o
_________________________
EXERCISE 1-3
Matching Word Elements with Meanings
A. A suffix meaning “pain”
F. A suffix meaning “inflammation”
7. _____ psych/o
G. A root referring to the nervous system
8. _____ dermat/o
H. A root meaning “blood”
9. _____ path/o
10. _____ oste/o
I. A root meaning “bone”
J. A word root that can also be a suffix
CHAPTER 1 QUIZ
Write the answers to the following questions using the spaces provided.
1. Name the three word elements of a medical term.
,
,
2. What is dermatitis?
3. A cardiologist treats diseases of what body organ?
4. What is a neuroma?
5. The plural for nucleus is
Chapter Quizzes at the end of each chapter
test your comprehension of the material.
Answers to the chapter quizzes are provided in
the appendix.
.
6. What is the term for study of the elderly?
7. A combining form is composed of what two word parts?
and
Complete the sentences below using a medical term.
8. Judy injured her knee, and the doctor wants to use an instrument to view her knee
joint. This instrument is called a(n)
.
9. Tom has a history of bleeding stomach ulcers. He needs to have his stomach removed.
This procedure is called a(n)
.
10. Amy was told that she has an enlarged liver. The medical term for this is
.
Student Resources
All new, enhanced student resources provide additional opportunity to practice and assess your
mastery of the content. Student Resources include:
· Question Bank: Multiple Choice, True/False, Fill-in-the-Blank, Spelling Bee, Word Building,
Figure Labeling, Image Matching, Medical Record Exercises
· Games: Crossword Puzzles, Get the Picture (Hangman), Raise the Roof Word Building,
60-Second Challenge Word Building
· Flash Cards with audio, including build-your-own
· Animations
· Audio Pronunciation Glossary
The student resources can be accessed online at http://thepoint.lww.com/Collins2e. See the inside front cover for more information.