Key concept of medical terminology English for Nursing

Medical Terminology

Many medical terms derive from Greek and Latin, learning medical terminology is like learning a new
language.Understanding these terms can be easier if you know how to analyze key elements and identify word
associations.

Most medical terms are a combination of two or more parts. If you can successfully interpret each part, you can usually
grasp the essential meaning of the word. Thus, interpreting the meaning of a medical term requires knowledge of
common medical roots, prefixes, and suffixes.

A root is the essential component of a word. Many medical roots signify a disease, procedure, or body part. Some roots
appear at the beginning of a word, whereas others appear after a prefix, before a suffix, or between a prefix and a suffix.
In addition, two or more roots may be combined to form a word, as in cardi-o-pulmonary and cardi-o-vascular. The
letter o is the most commonly used combining vowel.

A prefix consists of one or more letters attached to the beginning of a root. Many prefixes used for medical terms are
also applied to standard English vocabulary. To determine the meaning of a prefix in a medical term, consider a familiar
word that begins with the same prefix. For example, the prefix anti- has the same meaning—against—in both antislavery
and antihistamine, literally against slavery and against histamine (the compound that produces allergic reactions).

With a bit of practice, you’ll quickly discover how easy it can be to interpret the parts of a medical term and then
combine them to identify the term’s meaning. For example, in acrocyanosis, the root acr (extremities) and the vowel o
are combined with the root cyan (blue) and the suffix -osis (condition) to form a term that means a condition
characterized by blue extremities.

Plural words in English are usually formed by adding s or es to the end of a noun. The rules for forming plurals of many
medical terms are different because of their Greek and Latin roots. Generally, plural words derived from these two
languages are formed by adding or substituting vowels or syllables at the end of the word. Examples of plurals of
medical terms are:

• maculae (singular: macula)

• adenomata (singular: adenoma)
• glomeruli (singular: glomerulus)
• pelves (singular: pelvis)

Pronunciation tips:

• only the s sound in ps is pronounced, as in Pseudomonas

• only the n sound in pn is pronounced, as in pneumococcal
• g and c assume the soft sounds of j and s, respectively, when used before e, i, and y; examples are gene, and
cytology
• ph sounds like f, as in phlegm
• x sounds like z, as in xeroderma
• g and c have hard sounds in front of other letters, such as gangrene and cortex
• ae and oe are pronounced ee, as in fasciae
• i at the end of a word usually denotes a plural and is pronounced eye, as in fasciculi
• es at the end of a word may be pronounced as a separate syllable, as in nares.
Key concept of medical terminology English for Nursing
Medical Terminology

An eponym is a medical term that’s derived from the name of a person, usually the scientist who discovered the
corresponding body part or disease, procedures or test. For example: Alzheimer’s disease, Bartholin’s glands, Heimlich
manoeuvre, Foley catheter.

Prefixes Meanings Examples

1. a(n)- absence, without anuria (lack of urine output)
2. ab- away from abduct (move away from)
3. ad- toward adduct (move toward)
4. ambi- both sides ambidextrous (using both hands)
5. ante- before, forward anterior (front of the body)
6. anti- against antibody (immune response to an organism)
7. apo- away from apophysis (growth or protuberance)
8. aut(o)- self autoanalysis (self-analysis)
9. bi- two bigeminy (occurring in pairs)
10. diplo- double diplopia (double vision)
11. dys- difficult dysuria (painful urination)
12. ec- out of ectopic (out of place)
13. end(o)- inward endoscope (a device used to examine a body cavity)
14. eu- normal, health euthyroid (normal thyroid function)
15. ex- outside exfoliation (peeling of layers)
16. hetero- other, different heterogeneous (different characteristics)
17. hyper- above, beyond- hypernatremia (excess sodium)
18. hypo- below hypotension (low blood pressure)
19. infra- beneath infra-axillary (below the axilla)
20. intra- within, into intramuscular (into the muscle)
21. juxta- near juxta-articular (near a joint)
22. macr(o)- large, long macromastia (excessive breast size)
23. mal- bad, abnormal malformation (abnormally formed)
24. mega- great, large megacolon (enlarged colon)
25. meta- beyond, change metaphase (second stage of cell division)
26. micr(o)- small microbe (tiny organism)
27. mono- one monochromatic (having only one color)
28. morph(o)- shape morphology (study of the form and structure of organisms)
29. multi- many multifocal (arising from many locations)
30. olig(o)- few, little oliguria (too little urine)
31. par(a) near, beside paracentesis (puncture of a cavity for aspiration of fluid)
32. peri- around pericecal (around the cecum)
33. pico- one-trillionth picornavirus (extremely small RNA virus)
34. poly- much, many polydipsia (excessive thirst)
35. post- behind, after postoperative (after surgery)
36. pre- before, in front preanesthesia (before anesthetic is given)
37. pro- favoring, supportive procoagulant (promotes coagulation)
38. pseudo- false pseudocyst (a cavity resembling a true cyst)
39. re- back, contrary recurrent fever (fever that returns after a remission)
40. retr(o)- backward retroauricular (behind the auricle)
41. semi- half semiflexion (position of a limb midway between extension and flexion)
42. sub- under subclinical (without symptoms)
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Medical Terminology

43. super- above supercilia (the eyebrow)

44. supra- above, upon supraorbital (above the orbit)
45. tetra- four tetralogy (group of four)
46. trans- across, through transdermal (entering through the skin)

Roots Meanings Examples

1. abdomen(o)- abdomen abdominopelvic (abdomen and pelvis)
2. acou- hearing acoustics (the science of sounds)
3. acr(o)- extremity, peak acrodermatitis (inflammation of skin of the extremities)
4. aden(o)- gland adenocele (cystic tumor in a gland)
5. adipo- fat adipose (fatty)
6. alb- white albumin (protein found in the blood)
7. andr(o)- male androgen (male sex hormone)
8. angil(o)- vessel angiography (X-ray of a vessel)
9. anky- crooked, fusion ankylosis (consolidation of a joint)
10. bili- bile biliary (pertaining to bile or the gallbladder)
11. blast- / -blast embryonic state blastocyte (embryonic cell)
12. blephar(o)- eyelid blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelid)
13. brachi(o)- arm brachial artery (artery of the upper arm)
14. brady- slow bradycardia (slow heart rhythm)
15. calc- heel calcaneus (heel bone)
16. carcin(o)- cancer carcinoma (malignant growth)
17. cardi(o) - heart cardiac muscle (heart muscle)
18. caud- tail caudal (toward the tail)
19. cephal(o) head cephalalgia (pain in the head)
20. cerebr(o)- cerebrum cerebral embolism (occlusion of a cerebral vessel by a blood clot)
21. cervic(i)(o)- neck cervical plexus (network of cervical nerves)
22. chol(e)- bile cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder)
23. chondr(o)- cartilage chondritis (inflammation of cartilage)
24. col(i)(o)- colon colitis (inflammation of the colon)
25. cost(o)- rib costochondral (relating to a rib and its cartilage)
26. cut- skin cutaneous (relating to skin)
27. cyan(o)- blue cyanotic (blue colored)
28. cyst(i)(o)- bladder cystitis (inflammation of the urinary bladder)
29. derm- / -derm skin dermatitis (skin inflammation)
30. cyt(o)- cell cytology (study of cells)
31. dos(i)(o)- back dorsiflexion (upward bending of hand or foot)
32. enter(o)- intestine enterocolitis (inflammation of the intestines and colon)
33. erythr(o)- red erythrocytes (red blood cells)
34. fasci- bundle fasciae (bundles of muscle fibers)
35. febri- fever febrile (feverish)
36. fil- threadlike filament (fine thread)
37. galact(o) milk galactose (sugar obtained from milk)
38. gastro- stomach gastritis (inflammation of the stomach)
39. ger(o)-/ geront(o)- aging gerontology (study of aging)
40. gest- carry gestation (pregnancy)
41. gloss(o)- tongue glossitis (inflammation of the tongue)
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Medical Terminology

42. glyc(o)- / gluc(o) sweet glycogen, glucogen (forms of sugar)

43. gyn(o)- woman gynecology (study of women’s reproductive organs)
44. heme(a)(o)- / hemato- blood hematology (study of blood)
45. hepat(o)- liver hepatitis (inflammation of the liver)
46. hist(i)(o)- tissue histography (process of describing tissue and cells)
47. hydro- water hydrops (excess watery fluid)
48. hyster- uterus hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus)
49. ile(o)- ileum ileostomy (surgical opening in the ileum)
50. ili(o)- ilium, flank iliac muscle (muscle that allows thigh movement)
51. ischi(o)- hip ischiopubic (pertaining to the ischium and pubes)
52. jejun(0)- jejunum jejunectomy (excision of the jejunum)
53. kerat(o)- horny tissue, keratectasia (a thin, scarred cornea) cornea
54. kine(t)(o)- movement kinetic (pertaining to motion)
55. labio- lips labiograph (an instrument that records lipmovement)
56. lact(o)- milk lactation (secretion of milk by the breasts)
57. laryng(o)- larynx laryngectomy (surgical removal of the larynx)
58. latero- side lateroflexion (flexion to one side)
59. leuk(o)- white leukocytes (white blood cells)
60. lip(o)- fat lipedema (excess fat and fluid in subcutaneous tissue)
61. lith(o)- stone lithocystotomy (surgical removal of bladder stones)
62. mamm(o)- breast mammogram (breast X-ray)
63. mast(o)- breast mastectomy (surgical removal of breast tissue)
64. melan(o)- black melancholia (depression)
65. meno- menses menostaxis (prolonged menstrual period)
66. ment- mind mental illness (psychiatric disorder)
67. mio- less, smaller miosis (excessive contraction of the pupil)
68. mito- threadlike mitochondria (rod-shaped cellular organelle)
69. my(o)- muscle myocele (hernia of muscle)
70. myc(o)- fungus mycology (study of fungi and fungal diseases)
71. myel(o)- marrow, spinal cord myelalgia (pain in the spinal cord)
72. myx- mucus myxoid (resembling mucus)
73. nas(o)- nose nasolabial (between the nose and lip)
74. nephr(o)- kidney nephritis (kidney inflammation)
75. ocul(o)- eye oculomotor (eye movement)
76. ophtalm(o)- eye ophthalmia (inflammation of the eye)
77. orchi(o)- testes orchitis (inflammation of the testes)
78. oro- mouth oronasal (mouth and nose)
79. oss- or oste(o)- bone osteomyelitis (inflammation of bone and muscle)
80. ot(o)- ear otitis (ear inflammation)
81. ox(y)- oxygenation oxyhemoglobin (hemoglobin combined with molecular oxygen)
82. path(o)- disease pathogen (disease-causing organism)
83. ped(o)- child pediatrics (care of children)
84. pharmaco- medicine pharmacotherapy (treatment with medication)
85. pharyng(o)- pharynx pharyngitis (sore throat)
86. phleb(o)- vein phlebitis (inflammation of a vein)
87. phot(o)- light phototherapy (treatment by exposure to light)
88. plasm(o)- liquid part of plasminogen (protein found in tissues and body blood fluids)
89. pleur(o)- pleura, rib, side pleurisy (inflammation of the pleura)
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Medical Terminology

90. pnoum(o)- lung pneumonia (inflammation of the lung)

91. pod(o)- foot podiatry (care of the foot)
92. proct(o)- rectum proctectomy (excision of the rectum)
93. prote(o)- protein proteinemia (excess protein in the blood)
94. psych(o)- mind psychiatry (study and treatment of mental disorders)
95. pulmo(n)- lung pulmoaortic (pertaining to the lungs and aorta)
96. pyel(o) kidney pyelonephrosis (disease of the kidney and renal pelvis)
97. pyr(o)- heat pyrogen (an agent that causes fever)
98. ren(o)- kidney renography (X-ray of the kidney)
99. rhin(o)- nose rhinitis (inflamed mucous membranes of the nose)
100. rub(r)- red bilirubin (bile pigment)
101. sangui- blood sanguineous drainage (bloody drainage)
102. sarc(o)- flesh sarcoma (a highly malignant tumor made of connective tissue cells)
103. scler(o)- hard sclerosis (hardening of tissue)
104. scolio- crooked scoliosis (curvature of the spine)
105. sensi- perception, sensory (pertaining to the senses)feeling
106. sep- decay sepsis (infection in the bloodstream)
107. soma-/ somat(o) body somatization (psychiatric condition expressed through physica symptoms)
108. sten(o)- narrow stenosis (narrowing of a body passage)
109. tachy- rapid, swift tachycardia (rapid heart beat)
110. therm(o)- heat thermometer (instrument for measuring temperature)
111. thorac(o)- chest thoracotomy (surgical opening of the chest wall)
112. thromb(o)- clot thrombectomy (excision of a clot from a blood vessel)
113. toxi(o)- poison toxicosis (poisoning)
114. trache(o)- trachea tracheobronchitis (inflammation of the trachea and bronchi)
115. ur(o)- urinary, urine uropoiesis (formation of urine)
116. vas(o)- vessel vasospasm (spasm of a blood vessel)
117. ven(i)(o)- vein venosclerosis (sclerosis or hardening of the veins)
118. vesic(o)- bladder vesicospinal (pertaining to the urinary bladder and spine)

Suffixes Meanings Examples

1. -algia pain neuralgia (nerve pain)
2. -ectomy surgical removal splenectomy (removal of the spleen)
3. -itis inflammation colitis (inflammation of the colon)
4. -lys(i)(o) breakdown fibrinolysis (breakdown of a clot)
5. -oma tumor blastoma (cancer composed of embryonic cells)
6. -osis condition fibrosis (formation of fibrous tissue)
7. -phob abnormal fear agoraphobia (fear of open spaces)
8. -plasia growth hypoplasia (incomplete development)
9. -plasty surgical repair angioplasty (surgical repair of blood vessels)
10. -plegia paralysis paraplegia (paralysis of lower body)
11. -pnea breathing apnea (absence of breathing)
12. -poiesis production hematopoiesis (production of blood cells) through the abdominal wall)
13. -praxia movement apraxia (inability to perform purposeful movement)
14. -rrhea fluid discharge diarrhea (frequent soft or liquid bowel movements)
15. -scope observe endoscope (tool for observing the interior of body organs)
16. -stomy opening colostomy (portion of the colon is opened and brought
Key concept of medical terminology English for Nursing
Medical Terminology

17. -taxis movement ataxia (uncoordinated movements)

18. -tomy incision thoracotomy (surgical opening of the chest wall)
19. -tripsy crushing lithotripsy (crushing stones in the bladder, kidney or other organs)
20. -throphy growth hypertrophy (overgrowth)