Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Medical Terms
Medical Terms
Abbreviations – are shortened forms for written words or phrases used in a place of the ( e.g. vol for volume)
Acronyms – are words formed from the initial letter of each of the successive parts or major parts of a compound term
( e.,g., CBC for complete blood count )
• Health care workers use medical terminology and abbreviations in their work every day.
• It is the professional language that helps them communicate effectively and quickly.
Medical Abbreviations:
• Shortened forms of words.
• An efficient way of communicating quickly and concisely with other health care workers.
• Always use standard abbreviations.
• Never use an abbreviation if you are unsure about its meaning.
• Remember, medical terminology was derived primarily from Greek & Latin
Medical Terminology
When prefixes, suffixes, and/or word roots are joined together, vowels are frequently added.
– Examples: a, e, i, ia, io, o, and u.
– Combining vowels make it easier to pronounce the term.
• There is always at least one word root, and sometimes more than one.
Creating Medical Terms
a. Create a word meaning “inflammation of a joint.”
b.arthr is the stem that means joint.
c. -itis is the ending part that means inflammation.
d. Since -itis begins with a vowel, no additional vowel on the stem will be needed.
e. The medical word is arthritis.
Creating Med Terms
a. Create a word meaning “white (blood) cell”
b. leuk is the stem that means white.
c. -cyte is the ending part that means cell.
d. Since -cyte does not begin with a vowel, a vowel would be added to the stem.
e. leuko is the stem with the vowel.
f. The medical word is leukocyte.
Examples
• GASTR O ENTER O LOGY
(ROOT) (ROOT) (SUFFIX)
• GASTR O SCOPE
(ROOT) (SUFFIX)
• GASTR IC
(ROOT) (SUFFIX)
• GASTR O ENTER ITIS
(ROOT) (ROOT) (SUFFIX)
Plurals;
1. Words ending in a, retain the a add ae :
vertebra - vertebrae
2. Words ending in is, drop the is and add es:
Diagnosis - diagnoses
3. Words ending in ex or ix, drop the ex or ix and add ices: apex - apices
4. Words ending in on, drop the on and add a:
ganglion - ganglia
5. Words ending in um, drop the um and add a:
bacterium - bacteria
6. Words ending in us, drip the us and add i:
bronchus – bronchi
How to Use Medical Terminology
• A patients’ complaint of “pain in the stomach” can mean many different things.
• After making a diagnosis, health care workers must be able to understand exactly what the problem is.
Medical Symbols:
Some examples:
– > greater than – ‘ foot, minute
– < less than – “ inch, second
– á higher, elevate, up – ° degree
– â lower, down – F female
– # pound or number – M male
Pronunciation
• Hints:
– ch sounds like k.
• Chyme, Cholecystectomy, Chronic
– ps sounds like s.
• Psychiatric, Psychology, Psoriasis
– pn sounds like n.
• Pneumonia, Pneumatic
– c sounds like a soft s when it comes before e, i, and y.
• Cycle, Cytoplasm, Centrifuge
Pronunciation
– g sounds like j when it comes before e, i, and y.
• Giant, Gestation, Generic, Gyration
– i sounds like “eye” when added to the end of a word to form a plural.
• Glomeruli, Villi, Alveoli, Bacilli
Medical Terminology
• When you learn the common prefixes, suffixes, and word roots, you have the tools to combine hundreds of
medical terms.
pregnancy
Endo within, in, inner endoscopy
Epi above, upon epidermis
Ex out excision
Extra extra extrahepatic
Hemi half hemiplegia
Hyper too much, above hyperthyroidism
Hypo deficient, too little hypothermia
Ec out, outside ectopic pregnancy
Endo within, in, inner endoscopy
Epi above, upon epidermis
Ex out excision
Extra extra extrahepatic
Hemi half hemiplegia
Hyper too much, above hyperthyroidism
Hypo deficient, too little hypothermia
In in, into incision
Inter between intervertebral
Intra within intravenous
Mal bad malignant
Mega big megakaryocyte
Meta change, beyond metastasis
Micro small microscopic
Neo new neonatal
• Para beside, near,
alongside of parathyroid
Peri surrounding periosteum
Poly many, much polyuria
Post after, behind postpartum
Pre before precancerous
Pro before, forward prolapse
Pros before, forward prosthesis
Quadri four quadriplegia
Re back, behind relapse
Retro back, behind retroperitoneal
Sub under, less than subcutaneous
Syn with, together syndrome
Tachy Fast tachycardia
Trans across, through transabdominal
Tri three tricuspid valve