Basic

Medical
Terminology
Objectives

1 Describe basic medical word structure

2 Identify components of medical terms

3 Demonstrate understanding of basic medical

terms

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What is Medical
Terminology?
Most medical terms come from Greek or Latin
origins but there are some that are of German or
French origins

Medical words are like jigsaw puzzles that are

constructed from small pieces

We will look each of these pieces and be able to

put them together

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PREFIX + ROOT + SUFFIX

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ROOT

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 Start with the ROOT of the medical term
The root the foundation of the foundation of the medical term and all
terms have one or more roots
The root specifies a body part
The root often is used in conjunction with a vowel which behaves as a
connector of words

Example:
Lip means fat
Hemat means blood
Cardi means heart
Gast means stomach
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PREFIX

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 The prefix appears at the beginning of the word and often relates
to how, why, where, when, how much, direction or status. Not all
medical terms have prefixes, but if present the can have an
important meaning on that term
Examples:
Hyper means ‘above or excessive’
Peri means ‘around or surrounding’
Epi means ‘upon, above or beside’
Endo means ‘within’

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SUFFIX

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The suffix is always at the end of a word usually indicates a procedure,
a condition or a disease
‘-emia’ means blood condition
‘-itis’ means inflammation
-‘ology’ means study of

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 Endocarditis
Endo – card – itis
Endo – within – Prefix
card – heart – Root
itis – inflammation – Suffix
Inflammation of the lining of
heart 12
Prefix Root Vowel Suffix Medical
term

hemat o logy hematology

epi gastr ic epigastric

cardi o pathy cadiopathy

lip oma lipoma

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