Introduction to Medical Terminology

What is medical terminology?

Different professions have different languages. Medical terminology is the

technical language of health care professions. Medical workers use terms to
describe the objects and situations encountered in their fields.

Like every other language, medical terminology has changed over time. The
basis for medical terms, however, remains the same. The majority of
medical terms are derived from Latin and Greek

How Does Medical Terminology Work?

Word Parts Are the Key

Learning medical terminology is much easier once we understand how word
parts are combined to make medical terms.

Important Word Parts:

- Word roots / combining forms contain the basic meaning of the

term. A single word root (combining form) cannot stand alone.

- Suffixes usually but not always indicate the procedure, condition,

disorder or disease. A suffix comes at the end of the word.

- Prefixes come at the beginning of a word. They usually indicate

location, time, number or status.

- Combining Vowels
- To make medical terms easier to pronounce, a combining vowel may
be needed between a word root and another word root or a suffix.
- The letter O is the most commonly used combining vowel.
- When a word root is shown with a slash and a combining vowel it is
called a combining form, i.e. cardi/o, hemat/o
Combining Forms:
A combination of a root and a combining vowel: hepat/o , arthr/o , cardi/o ,
hemat/o

Suffixes:
Suffixes can be used to indicate the following meanings:
- pertaining to: -al in cerebral, -ac in cardiac, -ic in gastric or –eal in
coccygeal

- noun endings: -um in cranium, pericardium

- abnormal condition: -osis in thrombosis, psychosis

- suffixes related to pathology: -algia / pain as in arthralgia, -dynia /

pain as in gastrodynia, -itis / inflammation as in arthritis, -malacia /
softening as in chondromalacia, -megaly / enlargement as in
cardiomegaly, -necrosis / death of tissue as in arterionecrosis, -
- sclerosis / hardening as in arteriosclerosis and –stenosis / narrowing
as in arteriostenosis

- suffixes related to procedures: -centesis / surgical puncture to

remove fluid as in amniocentesis, -ectomy / excision as in
gastrectomy, - graphy / process of recording a picture as in
arteriography, -plasty / surgical repair as in mamoplasty and –scopy /
visual examination as in laparoscopy

- The Double RRs : -rrhage and –rrhagia / bursting forth as in

hemorrhage or menorrhagia, -rrhaphy / to suture or stitch as in
myorrhapyhy, -rrhea / flow or discharge menorrhea and –rrhexis /
rupture as in myorrhexis

Prefixes:
Prefixes can be used to indicate:
- Location: sub- / under as in subcostal, hypo- / under- as in
hypodermic, epi- / above as in epidermis

- Time and events: Pre- / before as in prenatal, post- / after as in

postnatal
 - Number: bi- two as in bicuspid , tri- / three as in tricuspid, uni- one as
in unilateral

Look-Alike / Sound-Alike Terms:

- arteri/o / artery , ather/o / plaque , arthr/o / joints, erythr/o red

- ileum / part of the small intestines, ilium / part of the hip bone

- -pnea / air, breathing , -penia / deficiency

- Myel/o / bone marrow or spinal cord , my/o muscle

- Urethr/o urethra, ureter/o ureter, uter/o uterus