Introduction to Medical
Terminology
Done by:
Dr. Noor Saadi
2016-2017
Objectives of this lecture
• Identify and distinguish among the four elements of medical
terms: roots, suffixes, prefixes, and combining form.
• Describe how medical terms are divided into word elements.
• Apply the basic rules to define and build medical words.
• Locate the pronunciation guidelines chart and interpret
pronunciation marks.
• State the rules for determining singular and plural endings.
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ORIGIN OF MEDICAL TERMS
• Hippocrates was a Greek
physician and is known as the
“father of medicine.”
• 75% of medical terms are based
on either Greek or Latin words.
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What are the basic elements of medical terms
prefix
root
Combining
vowel
suffix
Combining form
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Word Roots (WR)
 Usually
derived form Greek or Latin
 Frequently indicates a body part
 Most medical terms have one or more word roots
Eg:
cardiology
WR
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Examples of Word Roods
Greek Word
Word Root
Kardia (heart)
Cardi
Gaster (stomach) Gastr
Hepar (liver)
Hepat
Nephros (kidney) Nephr
Osteon (bone)
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oste
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Combining Forms (CF)
 Combining
Form (CF) is a Word Root
(WR) plus a vowel, usually an “o”
 Usually indicates a body part
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Combining Forms Examples
 Cardi/
+ o = cardi/o
 gastr/ + o = gastr/o
 hepat/ + o = hepat/o
 nephr/ + o = nephr/o
 oste/ + o = oste/o
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heart
stomach
liver
kidney
bone
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Suffixes
 Word
Ending
 Suffix usually indicates a procedure, condition,
disease, or part of speech
 Usually derived from Greek or Latin
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Examples of Suffix
 Arthr/o
joint
-centesis
puncture
 throac/o
chest
-tomy
incision
Arthrocentesis
puncture of a joint
Thoracotomy
incision of the chest
 gastr/o
-megaly
Gastromegaly
stomach enlargement enlargement of the
stomach
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Disorder Suffixes
Disorder suffix Meaning
-ema
swelling
-trophy
nourishment
-ia
-iasis
-megaly
condition of
abnormal condition of
enlargement
-oma
-osis
tumour (mass which may or may not
be cancerous)
abnormal condition
-ptysis
-staxisNov-16
spitting up
dripping blood
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SUFFIXES: Surgical Procedures
-centesis – surgical puncture
-desis – surgical binding
-ectomy – excision, removal, cut out
-pexy – surgical fixation
-plasty – surgical repair, correction
-rrhaphy – suture
-sect – to cut
-stomy – forming a new opening
(permanent opening)
Moe, after the
bandages come off
and the wounds
heal, you’ll still be a
pig.
-tome – instrument for cutting
-tomy – incision into, cut into
-tripsy – to crush, break down
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SUFFIXES: diagnostic procedures
--gram – written record, recording
-graph – instrument for recording
-graphy – process of recording
-manometer – instrument for measuring pressure
-manometry – process of measuring pressure
-meter – instrument for measuring
-metery – process of measuring
-opsy – Visual examination
-scope - instrument for examining
-scopy – process of examining, examination
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Prefixes
 Word
element located at the beginning of a word
 Changes the meaning of the word
 Usually indicates a number, time, position, direction,
color, or sense of negation
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Examples of Prefix
 A-
mast
without breast
-ia
condition
 hyper-
-ia
condition
therm
excessive heat
 intra-
in
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muscul
muscle
-ar
relating to
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Common prefixes
Disorder Prefixes
Meaning
a, an
without
brady
slow
dys
difficult or painful
hyper
above
hypo
below
oligo
few
poly
many
tachy
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fast
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Number Prefixes





bi–
hemi–
mono–
multi–
nulli–
two
half
one
many
none
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




poly–
quad–
semi–
tri–
uni–
many
four
partial, half
three
one
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Basic Rule One
A
WR (word root) is used before a suffix that begins
with a vowel.
Scler/ + osis = sclerosis
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Basic Rule Two
A
combining vowel is used to link a WR to a suffix
that begins with a consonant and to link a WR to
another WR to form a compound word
colon/o + scope = colonscope
osteo/ o/ chondr/ itis = osteochondritis
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Defining Medical Words
 First,
define the suffix or ending
 Second, define the prefix, or beginning
 Third, define the middle
Endocarditis
Inner layer
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heart
inflammation
Inflammation the inner layer of the heart
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Rules!
To define medical terms, divide or slash them into
their component parts; these word components are
called prefixes, suffixes, and roots.
Use the hyphen ( - ) after the word component to
indicate that it is a prefix; use it after the combining
form to indicate that it needs a suffix; use it before
the word component to indicate it is a suffix.
For example: Epi-gastr/o/-cele
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Medical terms
Diseases and disorders
 Aetiology - study of cause of diseases
 Signs – clinical evidence of cause of diseases or disorders
 Symptoms – indicators of disease that the patient is experiencing
 Disease – set of signs and symptoms that disrupts normal function of a
body system or organ
 Diagnosis – is when the doctor finds or decides what is causing the
signs and symptoms i.e. the disease or disorder
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Diseases and disorders
 Prognosis – forecast of the outcome / recovery from the
disease
 Morbidity – presence of illness or disease
 Mortality – death
 Acute – beginning abruptly and usually intense
 Chronic – refers to something lasting for a long time
 Terminal - will cause death
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Hints for pronouncing
Consonant
Example
c (before a,o,u) = k
Cavity, colon,cure
c (before e,i ) = s
Cephalic, cirrhosis
ch = k
cholesterol
g (before a, o, u) = g
gallstone,gonad
g (before e, i ) = j
generic, giant
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Hints for pronouncing
Consonant
Example
ph = f
phase, pharnyx
pn = n
pneumonia
ps = s
psychiatry, psychology
pt = t
ptosis, pterygium
rh,rrh
rhythm, haemorrhoid
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Singular & plural
singular
-a
-ax
-is
-ix, -ex
-um
-us
-y
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example
vertebra
thorax
diagnosis
appendix
diverticulum
bronchus
ovary
plural
-ae
-aces
-es
-ices
-a
-i
-ies
example
vertebrae
thoraces
diagnoses
appendices
diverticula
bronchi
ovaries
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Thanks for your attention •
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