NURSING MEDICAL TERMS AND

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS Example

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
Categories of Medical Terms
1. Descriptive: describes the shape, color, size, function
• Example: Erythrocyte (Erythr means red, cyte means
cell)
2. Eponyms: terms named after a person (usually the first
person to discovered or described a disease or organ)
• Example: Eustachian tubes are named after Bartolommeo
Eustachii; Alzheimer’s disease is named after Alois
Alzheimer, MD.
• Categories of Medical Terms
Myocarditis
 Root: card (referring to the heart)
 Prefix: myo (referring to the muscle)
 Suffix: itis (inflammation)
Meaning: inflammation of the muscle layer of the heart
Read the meaning of medical terms from the suffix, back to the
beginning of the term, and then across.
• Changes
• Prefix change:
Pericarditis (inflammation of the outer layer of the heart)
Endocarditis (inflammation of the inner lining of the heart)
• Suffix change:
Cardiologist (a physician specializing in the heart)
Cardiomyopathy (damage to heart muscle layer)
Cardiomegaly (enlargement of the heart)
• Also: Combining vowels
- Usually is the letter “O” but may be A, E, I, U or
Y
• Usually has no meaning of its own but is used to connect
the root and the suffix or two roots and two suffixes
Example: ELECTR O CARDI O GRAM
GASTR O ENTER IT IS
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.

3. Acronyms: An abbreviation that forms a pronounceable Creating Medical Terms

word
Examples:
CAT or computerized axial tomography
SOAP: subjective, objective, analysis, plan
CABG: coronary artery bypass graft
PERRLA: pupils equally round, reactive to light and
accommodation
• How did we get the name “Foley Catheter”
• How did we get the name “Salmonella”?
• Answers
• Dr. Frederick Foley (1891-1966)
• Dr. Daniel Salmon (1850-1914)
Basic Parts of Medical Words
1. Roots: usually the middle of the word and its central
meaning
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.

2. Prefix: a syllable at the beginning of the word which

usually identifies some subdivision or part of the central
meaning

3. Suffix: comes at the end of the central meaning and refers

to what or who is interacting or what is happening
regarding it.

Examples
• GASTRO ENTERO LOGY 4. Words ending in on, drop the on and add a:
(ROOT) (ROOT) (SUFFIX) ganglion - ganglia
• GASTRO SCOPE 5. Words ending in um, drop the um and add a:
(ROOT) (SUFFIX) bacterium - bacteria
• GASTR IC 6. Words ending in us, drip the us and add i:
(ROOT) (SUFFIX) bronchus – bronchi
• GASTRO ENTER ITIS
(ROOT) (ROOT) (SUFFIX) How to Use Medical Terminology
• A patients’ complaint of “pain in the stomach” can mean
Plurals; many different things.
1. Words ending in a, retain the a add ae : • After making a diagnosis, health care workers must be able
vertebra - vertebrae to understand exactly what the problem is.
2. Words ending in is, drop the is and add es:
Diagnosis - diagnoses Using Medical Terminology
3. Words ending in ex or ix, drop the ex or ix and add • What are some of the conditions (using proper medical
ices: apex – apices terminology) that could correspond to a “pain in the
stomach”?
How to Use Medical Terminology
• Gastritis • Gastralgia
• Hepatitis • Ileitis
• Appendicitis • Colitis
• Pancreatitis • Diverticulitis
Medical Symbols: Some examples:
➢ > greater than ➢ “ inch, second
➢ < less than ➢ ° degree
➢  higher, elevate, up ➢ F female
➢  lower, down ➢ M male
➢ # pound or number
➢ ‘ foot, minute

Pronunciation Pronunciation
• Hints: • g sounds like j when it comes before e, i, and y.
➢ ch sounds like k. – Giant, Gestation, Generic, Gyration
o Chyme, Cholecystectomy, Chronic • i sounds like “eye” when added to the end of a word to
➢ ps sounds like s. form a plural.
o Psychiatric, Psychology, Psoriasis – Glomeruli, Villi, Alveoli, Bacilli
➢ pn sounds like n. Medical Terminology
o Pneumonia, Pneumatic • When you learn the common prefixes, suffixes, and word
➢ c sounds like a soft s when it comes before e, i, and y. roots, you have the tools to combine hundreds of medical
o Cycle, Cytoplasm, Centrifuge terms.

Terms for Body Systems: Cardiovascular:

• angi/o vessel • coron/o heart
• aorto/o aorta • phleb/o vein
• arteri/o artery • ven/o vein
• cardi/o heart
Terms for Body Systems: Digestive
• an/o anus • esophag/o esophagus
• append/o appendix • gastr/o stomach
• cholecyst/o gallbladder • hepat/o liver
• col/o colon • ile/o ileum
• duoden/o duodenum
Terms for Body Systems: Digestive
• jejun/o jejunum • proct/o anus and rectum
• or/o mouth • rect/o rectum
• pancreat/o pancreas • sigmoid/o sigmoid
• pharyng/o pharynx • stomat/o mouth
Terms for Body Systems: Endocrine
 adren/o adrenal  pancreat/o pancreas
 hypophys/o pituitary  parathyroid/o parathyroid
 oophor/o ovary  pituitar/o pituitary
 ovari/o ovarian  thym/o thymus
 orchi/o testis  thyroid/o thyroid
Terms for Body Systems: Reproductive:
 cervic/o cervix  oophor/o ovary
 vagin/o vagina  salping/o fallopian tube
 hyster/o uterus  balan/o penis
 mamm/o breast  orch/o testis
 uter/o uterine  prostat/o prostate
 scrot/o scrotum
Terms for Body Systems: Musculoskeletal:
 arthr/o joint  muscul/o muscle
 chondr/o cartilage  myel/o bone marrow
 cost/o rib  oste/o bone
 crani/o skull  pelv/o pelvis
 ligament/o ligament  vertebr/o vertebra
 my/o muscle
Terms for Body Systems: Nervous System:
• cerebell/o cerebellum • medull/o medulla
• cerebr/o cerebrum • myel/o spinal cord
• encephal/o brain • neur/o nerve
Terms for Body Systems: Respiratory:
 alveol/o alveolar  pharyng/o pharynx
 bronch/o bronchial tube  phren/o diaphragm
 cyan/o blue  pneumon/o lung
 laryng/o larynx  tonsill/o tonsils
 nas/o nose  trache/o trachea
 rhin/o nose
Terms for Body Systems: Eye, Ear, Nails, Skin:
 aur/o ear  onych/o nail
 ot/o ear  ophthalm/o eye
 cutane/o skin  pil/o hair
 derm/o skin  retin/o retina
 myring/o eardrum  trich/o hair
 ocul/o eye  ungu/o nail
Terms for Body Systems: Urinary
• cyst/o urinary bladder • pyl/o renal pelvis
• nephr/o kidney • ureter/o ureter
• ren/o renal • urethr/o urethra
Test: Identify the type of specialist
• Neurolgist • Pathologist
• Orthopedist • Urologist
• Pulmonologist

Prefixes: At the beginning of a word

Prefix Meaning Example
• A, an no, not, without Apnea
• Ab away from abduction
• Ad toward adduction
• Ana up, apart analysis
• Ante before, forward antepartum
• Anti against antibody
• Bi two, both bilateral
• Brady slow bradycardia
• Circum around circumoral
• Con with, together congenital
• Contra against contraindicated
• Dia complete diarrhea
• Dys bad, painful, difficult dysuria
abnormal dyspnea
 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
 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 besides, 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
Suffixes: at the end of a word:
SUFFIX MEANING EXAMPLE
 al pertaining to neural
 algia pain arthralgia
 cyte cell leukocyte
 ectomy removal, excision gastrectomy
 emia blood condition leukemia
 globin protein hemoglobin
 gram record (xray) arthrogram
 ia condition hyperglycemia
 ic pertaining to gastric
 ism condition, process hypothyroidism
 itis inflammation appendicitis
 logist specialist in the neurologist
 logy study of neurology
 oma tumor, mass hepatoma
 opsy to view biopsy
 osis abnormal condition nephrosis
 plasty surgical repair arthroplasty
(with hardware)
• scope visual exam with gastroscope
an instrument
• scopy visual exam arthroscopy
(with an instrument)
• sis state of prognosis
• tomy cutting into, appendectomy
incision
• uni one unilateral